ArticleGlobal spine journal2023
Does Facet Distraction Affect Patient Outcomes After ACDF?
Article in Global spine journal, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.
- Axial pain after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: risk factor analysis and imaging evaluation.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Article
- Preoperative Cervical Cobb Angle Is a Risk Factor for Postoperative Axial Neck Pain after Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion with Zero-Profile Interbody.Orthopaedic surgery · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
STUDY
designRetrospective cohort study.
objectiveThe aim of this study is to determine if there is a correlation between the amount of facet distraction and postoperative patient-reported outcomes after ACDF.
methodsA retrospective cohort analysis of patients undergoing 1 to 3 level ACDF for degenerative pathologies at a single academic center was performed. Each patient received upright, lateral cervical spine x-rays at the immediate postoperative time point from which interfacet distance (facet distraction) was measured. Patient-reported outcome measures including NDI, PCS-12, MCS-12, VAS Neck, and VAS Arm pain scores were obtained preoperatively and at short-term (<3 months) and long-term (>1 year) follow-up. Receiver operating curves were generated to evaluate the possibility of a critical interfacet distraction distance. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed to compare outcomes between groups based on the degree of facet distraction.
resultsA total of 229 patients met the inclusion criteria. Receiver operating curves failed to yield a critical interfacet distraction distance associated with worse post-operative outcomes. Patients were instead grouped based on facet distraction distance below and above the third quartile (0.8mm-2.0 mm, 2.0mm-3.7 mm), with 173 and 56 patients in each respective group. Univariate analysis did not detect any statistically significant differences in outcome measures, recovery ratio, or % MCID achievement at short- and long-term follow-up between groups. Multivariate analysis also failed to demonstrate any significant differences between the facet distraction groups.
conclusionIncreased interfacet distance did not correlate with increased neck pain or disability after an ACDF.
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Registered trials
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