Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33767887›Full record

ArticleSurgical neurology international2021

Prognosis of spinal infections managed by minimal debridement: A case series in two tertiary centers.

Ahmed Ali Mohamed, Hussein Mohammed Soffar, Hazem Hassan El Zayat, Hashem Mohamed Aboul-Ela

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Surgical neurology international, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 39% of its field
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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. 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

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Ahmed Ali MohamedDepartment of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.
Hussein Mohammed SoffarDepartment of Neurosurgery, Kasr Alainy Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Hazem Hassan El ZayatDepartment of Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt.
Hashem Mohamed Aboul-ElaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Kasr Alainy Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.
Cairo University · EG

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSpinal infections can be challenging in their management and include spondylitis, epidural abscess, and spondylodiscitis. Usual treatment is conservative through antimicrobials or surgery to decompress neural tissue, debride all infected tissues, and fix if needed. We propose the concept of surgery without formal debridement aiming at neural protection.

methodsThe study was performed at two tertiary centers on 25 patients with clinical findings. One patient was treated conservatively and the rest surgically by laminectomy and fixation if needed. Evacuation of fluid pus was performed. In the cervical and the thoracic region, if the granulation tissue was anterior to the cord, only decompression by laminectomy was done.

resultsLow back pain was present in 22 cases (88%), 16 cases (64%) had lower limb pain, and 12 cases (48%) had weakness. The level of spinal infection was lumbar in 15 cases (60%), thoracic in 9 cases (36%) cases, and cervical in 1 case (4%). The type of infection was epidural abscess in 20 cases (80%), discitis in 16 cases (64%), and vertebral osteomyelitis in 12 cases (48%). Laminectomy was performed in 20 cases (80%) and fixation in 17 cases (68%). The symptoms improved in all cases. On follow-up, the lesion was reduced in 14 patients (56%) and disappeared in 11 cases (44%). One case required ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement due to postinfectious hydrocephalus.

conclusionDealing with spinal infections surgically through decompression or fixation with minimal debridement of infected tissue appears to be a safe and effective method of management.

Indexed as

DebridementInfectionSpine

Identifiers

PMID33767887
PMCPMC7982097
OpenAlexW3134663527

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.