Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34513192›Full record

ArticleSurgical neurology international2021

Myxopapillary ependymomas; proximity to the conus and its effect on presentation and outcomes.

Ahmed Helal, Anthony L Mikula, Nadia N Laack, William E Krauss, Michelle J Clarke

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 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 33% 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

6 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Longitudinal trajectories and determinants of urinary outcomes after spinal ependymoma surgery.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
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. The Many Faces of Myxopapillary Ependymomas.AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology · 2025
    Article
  6. 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 at 1 institution in 1 country.

Ahmed HelalDepartment of Neurologic Surgery Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States.
Anthony L MikulaDepartment of Neurologic Surgery Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States.
Nadia N LaackDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States.
William E KraussDepartment of Neurologic Surgery Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States.
Michelle J ClarkeDepartment of Neurologic Surgery Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, United States.
Mayo Clinic · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMyxopapillary ependymomas (MPE) are intradural spinal tumors with a predilection to the filum terminale. Damage to conus medullaris during surgery can result in sphincteric and sexual dysfunction. The purpose of this study is to determine how myxopapillary ependymoma proximity to the conus impacts patient presentation, extent of resection, and clinical outcomes.

methodsFifty-one patients who underwent surgical resection of pathologically confirmed myxopapillary ependymoma with at least 1 year of follow-up were included in the study. We collected initial presenting symptoms, distance of the tumor from the conus, extent of resection, and postoperative clinical outcomes including bladder dysfunction.

resultsAverage age was 38 years (range 7-75 years) with a male to female ratio of 1.43:1. Patients most commonly presented with pain symptoms (88%), and 12 patients (23.5%) had urologic symptoms on presentation. The mean tumor distance from the tip of the conus was 1.60 cm (10 cm above to 21 cm below the tip of the conus). Patients with tumors in contact with the conus had a significantly higher rate of preoperative urinary symptoms and were more likely (32% vs. 14%) to suffer postoperative urinary sphincteric disturbances. Tumors with direct invasion of the conus medullaris were more likely to require intralesional resection and fail to achieve a gross total resection (GTR).

conclusionPatients with MPE in close proximity to the conus were more likely to suffer from long-term morbidity related to urologic issues following surgical resection. Adjuvant radiotherapy may be a viable option for patients who fail to achieve GTR.

Indexed as

ConusEpendymomaMyxopapillaryOutcomePredictors

Identifiers

PMID34513192
PMCPMC8422471
OpenAlexW3198239095

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-SA
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.