Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35710728›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of spine surgery2022

Expandable Lateral Lumbar Cages With Integrated Fixation: A Viable Option for Rostral Adjacent Segment Disease.

Gregory M Malham, Carl M Blecher, Nigel R Munday, Ryan P Hamer

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of spine surgery, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 20% 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

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Use of expandable lateral lumbar interbody devices to restore disc height and segmental lordosis: a cadaveric study.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2026
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
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.

Gregory M MalhamNeuroscience Institute, Epworth Hospital, 89 Bridge Road, Richmond, Melbourne, Australia gmalham@bigpond.net.au.
Carl M BlecherRichmond Diagnostic Imaging, Richmond, Melbourne, Australia.
Nigel R MundayNeuroscience Institute, Epworth Hospital, 89 Bridge Road, Richmond, Melbourne, Australia.
Ryan P HamerUniversity of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Edward Ford Building, Fisher Road, NSW 2006, Australia.
Epworth Hospital · AUUniversity of Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAdjacent segment disease (ASD) above a previous posterior lumbar instrumented fusion can be managed with minimally invasive lateral lumbar interbody fusion. Earlier procedures with stand-alone lateral cages risked nonunion, and lateral cages with separate lateral plates risked lumbar plexus injury and vertebral fracture. We investigated clinical and radiographic outcomes of an expandable lateral titanium interbody cage with an integrated lateral fixation (eLLIFp) device as a stand-alone treatment for symptomatic ASD above a previous posterior lumbar fusion and performed a comparative cost analysis of eLLIFp to alternative operations for ASD.

methodsIn this prospective, observational study, patients with ASD above 1-, 2-, 3-, or 4-level instrumented posterior fusions underwent surgery with lateral expandable titanium cage(s) with an integrated lateral plate with single screws into each adjacent vertebra from August 2017 to August 2019. Multimodality intraoperative neural monitoring was performed. Patient-reported outcomes, computed tomography outcomes, and total costs were analyzed.

resultsA total of 33 patients received 35 eLLIFp cages. All clinical outcomes improved significantly. The eLLIFp cages added 2.2° segmental lordosis and 2.7 mm posterior disc height. Interbody fusion rate was 94% at 12 months. There were 2 neurologic complications (6%): 1 patient reported transient anterior thigh numbness and 1 had mild persistent L4 radiculopathy. No cage subsidence, cage migration, screw loosening, or vertebral fracture occurred. No revision lateral surgery, posterior decompression, or supplemental posterior fixation was required. The total eLLIFp cost (AU$19,715) was lower than the cost for all other procedures.

conclusionseLLIFp provided a minimally invasive, low morbidity, cost-effective, and robust alternative to traditional posterior construct extension surgery for rostral lumbar ASD in selected patients with 1- to 2-level stenosis and minimal deformity. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Traditional ASD treatment involves substantial risks and expense. eLLIFp should be considered a safe, effective, and lower cost alternative to posterior construct extension surgery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2:

Indexed as

adjacent segment diseasecost analysisexpandable lateral lumbar cagesposterior lumbar fusion

Identifiers

PMID35710728
PMCPMC9421273
OpenAlexW4283013692

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.