Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36248133›Full record

ArticleBrain & spine2022

Titanium versus polyetheretherketone versus structural allograft in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: A systematic review.

Jacob L Goldberg, Ross M Meaden, Ibrahim Hussain, Pravesh S Gadjradj, Danyal Quraishi, Fabian Sommer, Joseph A Carnevale, Branden Medary, Drew Wright, K Daniel Riew and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Brain & spine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.8field-weighted citation impact, top 9% 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, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion without anchoring: a multicenter comparison of stand-alone porous titanium versus anchored PEEK interbody cages.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
  4. Construct length rather than interbody spacer material is associated with reoperation after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2026
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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

11 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Jacob L GoldbergDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York Presbyterian. New York, New York, USA.
Ross M MeadenDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York Presbyterian. New York, New York, USA.
Ibrahim HussainDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York Presbyterian. New York, New York, USA.
Pravesh S GadjradjDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York Presbyterian. New York, New York, USA.
Danyal QuraishiDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York Presbyterian. New York, New York, USA.
Fabian SommerDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York Presbyterian. New York, New York, USA.
Joseph A CarnevaleDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York Presbyterian. New York, New York, USA.
Branden MedaryDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York Presbyterian. New York, New York, USA.
Drew WrightDepartment of Library Information Technologies and Services, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
K Daniel RiewDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York Presbyterian. New York, New York, USA.
Roger HartlDepartment of Neurological Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York Presbyterian. New York, New York, USA.
NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital · USCornell University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a common procedure to address cervical spine pathology. The most common grafts used are titanium, polyetheretherketone (PEEK), or structural allograft. Comparison of fusion rate is difficult due to non-standardized methods of assessment. We stratified studies by method of fusion assessment and performed a systematic review of fusion rates for titanium, PEEK, and allograft. Research question: Which of the common implants used in ACDF has the highest reported rate of fusion? Materials and methods: An experienced librarian performed a five-database systematic search for published articles between 01/01/1990 and 08/07/2021. Studies performed in adults with at least 1 year of radiographic follow up were included. The primary outcome was the rate of fusion. Fusion criteria were stratified into 6 classes based upon best practices. Results: 34 studies met inclusion criteria. 10 studies involving 924 patients with 1094 cervical levels, used tier 1 fusion criteria and 6 studies (309 patients and 367 levels) used tier 2 fusion criteria. Forty seven percent of the studies used class 3-6 fusion criteria and were not included in the analysis. Fusion rates did differ between titanium (avg. 87.3%, range 84%-100%), PEEK (avg. 92.8%, range 62%-100%), and structural allograft (avg. 94.67%, range 82%-100%). Discussion and conclusion: After stratifying studies by fusion criteria, significant heterogeneity in study design and fusion assessment prohibited the performance of a meta-analysis. Fusion rate did not differ by graft type. Important surgical goals aside from fusion rate, such as degree of deformity correction, could not be assessed. Future studies with standardized high-quality methods of assessing fusion, are required.

Indexed as

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusionAnterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)neck disability index (NDI), visual analog scale (VAS)PEEKPseudarthrosisrandomized control trial (RCT), prospective cohort (PC)retrospective cohort (RC), patient reported outcome (PRO)Structural allograftSystematic reviewTitanium

Identifiers

PMID36248133
PMCPMC9560672
OpenAlexW4292641108

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.