Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34625068›Full record

ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2021

An assessment of morphological and pathological changes in paravertebral muscle degeneration using imaging and histological analysis: a cross-sectional study.

Ding-Chao Zhu, Jia-Hao Lin, Jia-Jing Xu, Qiang Guo, Yi-Han Wang, Chao Jiang, Hui-Gen Lu, Yao-Sen Wu

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed
2.6field-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

12 citing papers in PubMed, 22 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Site-specific myopathy differences between spine and limb muscles: a kyphotic TSC1mKO mice model 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
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  6. Correlation between paraspinal muscle fat infiltration and thoracic vertebral degeneration based on phantom-less QCT: a novel insight into thoracic vertebral degeneration.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
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  9. Changes in psoas and posterior paraspinal muscle morphology after standalone lateral lumbar interbody fusion: a quantitative MRI-based 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 · 2023
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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

8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Ding-Chao Zhu *Department of Orthopedics, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 109# Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, 325000, China.
Jia-Hao Lin *Department of Orthopedics, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 109# Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, 325000, China.
Jia-Jing XuDepartment of Orthopedics, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 109# Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, 325000, China.
Qiang GuoDepartment of Orthopedics, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 109# Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, 325000, China.
Yi-Han WangDepartment of Orthopedics, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 109# Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, 325000, China.
Chao JiangDepartment of Orthopedics, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 109# Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, 325000, China.
Hui-Gen LuDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Second Hospital of Jiaxing, Jiaxing, China.
Yao-Sen WuDepartment of Orthopedics, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 109# Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou, 325000, China. wuyaosen@wmu.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3844-2950
Wenzhou Medical University · CNFirst Hospital of Jiaxing · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe high signal of paravertebral muscle (PVM) on T2-weighted image (T2WI) is usually considered to be fatty degeneration. However, it is difficult to distinguish inflammatory edema from fatty degeneration on T2WI. The purpose of this study was to identify different types of PVM high signal in patients with low back pain (LBP) through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histology.

methodsSeventy patients with LBP underwent MRI. The signal change of multifidus both on T2WI and fat suppression image (FSI) was quantified by Image J. Furthermore, 25 of the 70 patients underwent surgery for degenerative lumbar disease and their multifidus were obtained during the operation. Histological analysis of the samples was performed by HE staining.

resultThree types of PVM signal changes were identified from the MRI. Type 1 (n = 36) indicated fatty degeneration characterized by a high signal on T2WI and low signal on FSI. High signal on both T2WI and FSI, signifying type 2 meant inflammatory edema (n = 9). Type 3 (n = 25) showed high signal on T2WI and partial signal suppression on FSI, which meant a combination of fatty degeneration and inflammatory edema. Histological results were consistent with MRI. Among the 25 patients who underwent surgery, type 1 (n = 14) showed adipocytes infiltration, type 2 (n = 3) showed inflammatory cells infiltration and type 3 (n = 8) showed adipocytes and inflammatory cells infiltration.

conclusionFrom our results, there are three types of pathological changes in patients with PVM degeneration, which may help to decide on targeted treatments for LBP.

Indexed as

Low Back PainMuscular AtrophyCross-Sectional StudiesHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingParaspinal MusclesFatty degenerationInflammatoryLow back painMagnetic resonance imagingParavertebral muscle

Identifiers

PMID34625068
PMCPMC8499494
OpenAlexW3203201573

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.