SynthesisEuropean radiology2023
Does paraspinal muscle morphometry predict functional status and re-operation after lumbar spinal surgery? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in European radiology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.
- Preoperative paraspinal muscle fatty infiltration and prognosis after lumbar discectomy for disc herniation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Pooled it
- Association of paraspinal muscle morphology or composition with sagittal spinopelvic alignment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Pooled it
- Sarcopenia as a predictor of poor functional outcome of cervical spine surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neurosurgical review · 2025Pooled it
- Equivalent Clinical Outcomes but Divergent Biological Adaptation After Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Versus Cervical Disc Arthroplasty: A Longitudinal MRI Cohort Study.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Does pre-operative psoas muscle cross-sectional area predict post-operative outcomes following lumbar spine fusion surgery?-a systematic review and narrative synthesis.Journal of spine surgery (Hong Kong) · 2026Review
- Spinal mobility and paraspinal muscle degeneration: a cross-sectional analysis from the Berlin Back 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 · 2026Article
- Multifidus fatty infiltration and vertebral translation are key factors associated with movement-related low back pain in L5 isthmic spondylolisthesis.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 · 2026Article
- Risk Factors and Clinical Significance for Retrolisthesis of Adjacent Segment After Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion.Orthopaedic surgery · 2026Article
- Beyond the pars defect: multifidus degeneration as an independent predictor of vertebral slippage severity in isthmic lumbar L5 spondylolisthesis.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 · 2026Article
- Association of paraspinal and psoas muscle morphology with recurrent lumbar disc herniation: a retrospective case-control 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 · 2026Article
- Frailty-Muscle Phenotypes Predict Outcomes After Lumbar Fusion in Adults Aged ≥75 Years: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Neurospine · 2026Article
- Effect of paraspinal muscle morphometry in degenerative and isthmic spondylolisthesis: an MRI 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 · 2026Article
- Machine learning-based identification and ranking of risk factors for lumbar paraspinal muscle atrophy.Archives of orthopaedic and trauma surgery · 2026Article
- Cellular and molecular mechanisms of fatty infiltration in paraspinal muscles in spine-specific sarcopenia.Zhong nan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Central South University. Medical sciences · 2026Review
- PVMQ score: a novel imaging parameter for indicating lumbar degeneration and prognosis in patients with L4/5 degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis.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 · 2026Article
- Association of glucose metabolism status and paraspinal muscle degeneration with chronic pain after endoscopic lumbar decompression: a multicentre retrospective study.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Article
- Multifidus degeneration correlates with the extent of L4 translation in degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis.Brain & spine · 2026Article
- Article
- Artificial intelligence-driven assessment of sarcopenia in orthopedic geriatrics: technical progress and clinical implications.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Review
- A preoperative nomogram for predicting 2-year postoperative recurrence after percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic decompression in degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis.Frontiers in radiology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesWhether paraspinal muscle degeneration is related to poor clinical outcomes after lumbar surgery is still indistinct, which limits its clinical application. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of paraspinal muscle morphology on functional status and re-operation after lumbar spinal surgery.
methodsA review of the literature was conducted using a total of 6917 articles identified from a search of PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases through September 2022. A full-text review of 140 studies was conducted based on criteria including an objective assessment of preoperative paraspinal muscle morphology including multifidus (MF), erector spinae (ES), and psoas major (PS) in addition to measuring its relationship to clinical outcomes including Oswestry disability index (ODI), pain and revision surgery. Meta-analysis was performed when required metrics could be calculated in ≥ three studies, otherwise vote counting model was a good alternative to show the effect direction of evidence. The standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated.
resultsA total of 10 studies were included in this review. Of them, five studies with required metrics were included in the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis suggested that higher preoperative fat infiltration (FI) of MF could predict higher postoperative ODI scores (SMD = 0.33, 95% CI 0.16-0.50, p = 0.0001). For postoperative pain, MF FI could also be an effective predictor for persistent low back pain after surgery (SMD = 0.17, 95% CI 0.02-0.31, p = 0.03). However, in the vote count model, limited evidence was presented for the prognostic effects of ES and PS on postoperative functional status and symptoms. In terms of revision surgery, there was conflicting evidence that FI of MF and ES could predict the incidence of revision surgery in the vote count model.
conclusionThe assessment of MF FI could be a viable method to stratify patients with lumbar surgery by the risk of severe functional disability and low back pain. KEY POINTS: • The fat infiltration of multifidus can predict postoperative functional status and low back pain after lumbar spinal surgery. • The preoperative evaluation of paraspinal muscle morphology is conducive for surgeons.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.