Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32875823›Full record

ArticleGlobal spine journal2020

Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery: The Learning Curve of a Single Surgeon.

Gil Kimchi, Alon Orlev, Amir Hadanny, Nachshon Knoller, Ran Harel

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Global spine journal, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Learning Curve in the Extraction of Impacted Lower Third Molars: A Prospective Cohort Study.European journal of dental education : official journal of the Association for Dental Education in Europe · 2025
    Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Full endoscopic spine surgery.Journal of orthopaedics · 2023
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Gil KimchiSheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan, Affiliated to Sackler Medical School, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Alon Orlev36632Rabin Medical Center, Petach Tikva, affiliated to Sackler Medical School, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Amir Hadanny61255Galilee Medical Center, Nahariya, Israel.
Nachshon KnollerSheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan, Affiliated to Sackler Medical School, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Ran HarelSheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan, Affiliated to Sackler Medical School, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0165-7114

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

STUDY

designRetrospective cohort study.

objectivesThe learning curve associated with the implementation of minimally invasive spinal surgery (MIS) has been the center of attention in numerous publications. So far, these studies referred to a single MIS procedure. In our view, minimally invasive surgical skills are acquired simultaneously through a variety of procedures that share common features. The aim of this study was to analyze the skills progression of a single surgeon implementing diverse minimally invasive techniques.

methodsWe retrospectively collected all patients who underwent spinal surgery for thoracic or lumbar pathology by a single surgeon between 2012 and 2015 at a single institute. Both minimally invasive as well as open surgical techniques were analyzed; these groups were compared on the basis of surgical indications and outcomes. Skills progression analysis in reference to minimally invasive technique was performed.

resultsA total of 230 patients met the inclusion criteria for this study. MIS group included higher percentage of lumbar discectomy and the open-surgery group included higher percentage of tumor resection surgery. Learning curve evaluation demonstrated increased surgical complexity, evaluated by number of levels treated, over the 4-year period, which corresponded with decreased complication rates. DISCUSSION: A gradual increase in surgical complexity over 4 years, together with careful patient selection, enables the surgeon to maintain the rate of complication within acceptable limits. The main challenge facing the MIS community is constructing an education program for MIS surgeons in order to reduce the learning curve-induced complications.

conclusionAdvancement of educational aids for MIS surgical skill improvement, including spine models, virtual and augmented reality aids and surgical simulators may reduce the learning curve of spine surgeons.

Indexed as

educationlearning curveminimally invasive surgeryspine surgery

Identifiers

PMID32875823
PMCPMC7645089

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.