Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34686085›Full record

ArticleGlobal spine journal2023

Do Epidural Steroid Injections Affect Outcomes and Costs in Cervical Degenerative Disease? A Retrospective MarketScan Database Analysis.

Harsh Wadhwa, Kunal Varshneya, Martin N Stienen, Anand Veeravagu

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

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.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-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

2 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
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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

4 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Harsh WadhwaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4851-1902
Kunal VarshneyaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4910-9712
Martin N StienenDepartment of Neurosurgery, Kantonsspital St.Gallen, St.Gallen, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-6417-1787
Anand VeeravaguDepartment of Neurosurgery, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA, USA.
Stanford Medicine · USKantonsspital St. Gallen · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

STUDY

designRetrospective cohort study.

objectiveTo investigate the effect of preoperative epidural steroid injection (ESI) on quality outcomes and costs in patients undergoing surgery for cervical degenerative disease.

methodsWe queried the MarketScan database, a national administrative claims dataset, to identify patients who underwent cervical degenerative surgery from 2007 to 2016. Patients under 18 and patients with history of tumor or trauma were excluded. Patients were stratified by ESI use at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 or more months preoperative. Propensity score matched controls for these groups were obtained. Baseline demographics, postoperative complications, reoperations, readmissions, and costs were compared via univariate and multivariate analysis.

results97 117 patients underwent cervical degenerative surgery, of which 29 963 (30.7%) had ESI use at any time preoperatively. Overall, 90-day complication rate was not significantly different between groups. The ESI cohorts had shorter length of stay, but higher 90-day readmission and reoperation rates. ESI use was associated with higher total payments through the 2-year follow-up period. Among patients who received preoperative ESI, male sex, history of cancer, obesity, PVD, rheumatoid arthritis, nonsmokers, cervical myelopathy, BMP use, anterior approach, 90-day complication, 90-day reoperation, and 90-day readmission were independently associated with increased 90-day total cost.

conclusionESI can offer pain relief in some patients refractory to other conservative management techniques, but those who eventually undergo surgery have greater healthcare resource utilization. Certain characteristics can predispose patients who receive preoperative ESI to incur higher healthcare costs.

Indexed as

cervicalcostepidural steroid injectionMarketScanquality outcomes

Identifiers

PMID34686085
PMCPMC10556907
OpenAlexW3206219837

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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.