Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34338874›Full record

SynthesisEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2021

Prognostic indicators of surgical outcome in painful foot drop: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Fozia Saeed, Soumya Mukherjee, Kausik Chaudhuri, Joel Kerry, Sashin Ahuja, Debasish Pal

Abstract readCase ReportsMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 11% 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

10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Prognostic factors and surgical outcomes of foot drop secondary to lumbar degenerative disease: A systematic review and Individual patient data meta-analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Management strategies for the painless foot drop: a systematic review of the literature.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2023
    Pooled it
  3. Foot drop secondary to lumbar degenerative disease: a scoping review of recovery patterns, predictors, and research gaps.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026
    Review
  4. Lumbar disc herniation with moderate-to-severe motor deficit: A multicenter real-world study.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026
    Observational
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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

6 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Fozia SaeedDepartment of Neurosurgery, Leeds General Infirmary, Great George Street, Leeds, LS1 3EX, UK. fozia.saeed1@nhs.net.
Soumya MukherjeeDepartment of Neurosurgery, Leeds General Infirmary, Great George Street, Leeds, LS1 3EX, UK.
Kausik ChaudhuriUniversity of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Joel KerryDepartment of Neurosurgery, Leeds General Infirmary, Great George Street, Leeds, LS1 3EX, UK.
Sashin AhujaUniversity Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, UK.
Debasish PalDepartment of Neurosurgery, Leeds General Infirmary, Great George Street, Leeds, LS1 3EX, UK.
Leeds General Infirmary · GBUniversity Hospital of Wales · GBUniversity of Leeds · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeFoot drop is a relatively uncommon presentation of lumbar degenerative disease and there is currently a paucity of evidence on management and outcomes which is reflective of the lack of standardised treatment provided to patients. The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to determine the effectiveness of surgical management and the factors that predict surgical outcome.

methodsA systematic database search of Cochrane Library, Ovid Medline, Pubmed, Embase and Google Scholar was undertaken from inception through August 2018. Only studies reporting on surgical outcome in adult patients who had a painful foot drop and underwent decompression were included. Case reports and studies with surgical fixation were excluded. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Data were pooled using a random-effects model.

results797 studies were screened and 9 observational studies met the inclusion criteria. This resulted in a total of 431 patients who underwent decompression for foot drop. Pooled rates of outcome for improvement in foot drop MRC grade were 84.5% (range 67.9-96%). Sub-group meta-analyses of studies revealed a statistically significant association between duration of foot drop (pooled 4.95 [95% CI 1.13-21.74]), severity of preoperative weakness (pooled 0.38 [95% CI 0.15-0.93]) on post-operative outcome and age (pooled 6.28 [1.33-29.72]).

conclusionThis is the first systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the outcome and prognostic indicators of lumbar decompression for foot drop. Findings indicate that age, duration of foot drop weakness and MRC grade of foot drop prior to intervention were strong predictors of surgical outcome.

Indexed as

Peroneal NeuropathiesAdultDecompression, SurgicalHumansLumbosacral RegionPrognosisTreatment OutcomeFoot dropLumbar degenerative diseaseMeta-analysisSpinal surgerySurgical decompressionSystematic review

Identifiers

PMID34338874
OpenAlexW3190404783

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

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.