Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37020306›Full record

ArticleJournal of orthopaedic surgery and research2023

Clinical and imaging outcomes of self-locking stand-alone cages and anterior cage-with-plate in three-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion: a retrospective comparative study.

Liang Tang, Xiaoming Liu, Yanghu Lu, Yanbin Liu, Jiangming Yu, Jian Zhao

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
3.8field-weighted citation impact, top 7% 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, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Long-term effectiveness of stand-alone anchored spacer in multilevel anterior cervical discectomy and fusion compared with cage-plate system: a systematic review and meta-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 · 2025
    Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. [Comparison of effectiveness between zero-profile anchored cage and plate-cage construct in treatment of consecutive three-level cervical spondylosis].Zhongguo xiu fu chong jian wai ke za zhi = Zhongguo xiufu chongjian waike zazhi = Chinese journal of reparative and reconstructive surgery · 2025
    Article
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

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Liang Tang *Department of Orthopedics, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 1111 XianXia Road, Shanghai, 200336, China.
Xiaoming Liu *Department of Orthopedics, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 1111 XianXia Road, Shanghai, 200336, China.
Yanghu LuDepartment of Orthopedics, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 1111 XianXia Road, Shanghai, 200336, China.
Yanbin LiuDepartment of Orthopedics, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 100 Haining Road, Shanghai, 200080, China.
Jiangming YuDepartment of Orthopedics, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 1111 XianXia Road, Shanghai, 200336, China. yjm_st@163.com.
Jian ZhaoDepartment of Orthopedics, Second Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China. zjczgk@126.com.
Shanghai Jiao Tong University · CNTongren Hospital · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAnterior cervical discectomy and fusion has been considered standard management for cervical myelopathy and radiculopathy. However, the option of using self-locking stand-alone cages or cage-with-plate in three-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion still remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and imaging outcomes of the two procedures in multilevel anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.

methodsSixty-seven patients who underwent three-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion were enrolled in this study, of which 31 patients underwent surgery using self-locking stand-alone cages (group cage) and 36 patients using cage-with-plate (group plate). For the evaluation of clinical outcomes, modified Japanese Orthopedic Association scores, visual analogue scale for neck pain, neck disability index, Odom's criteria and dysphagia status were measured. Imaging outcomes were evaluated by cervical sagittal angle, fusion segmental Cobb's angle, fusion segmental height, range of motion, cage subsidence rate, fusion rate and adjacent segment degeneration. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS software (version 19.0).

resultsBoth groups showed improvement in modified Japanese Orthopedic Association scores, visual analogue scale for neck pain and neck disability index, after surgery, and there was no significant difference between the groups. The occurrence rate of dysphagia is significantly lower in the group cage compared with the group plate (p < 0.05). The postoperative cervical sagittal angle, fusion segmental Cobb's angle, fusion segmental height and cage subsidence rate in the group plate were significantly superior to that in the group cage (p < 0.05). However, the rate of adjacent segment degeneration was significantly lower in the group cage compared with the group plate (p < 0.05). Both groups showed no significant difference in terms of fusion rate (p > 0.05).

conclusionsThe self-locking stand-alone cages are effective, reliable and safe in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion for the treatment of cervical myelopathy and radiculopathy. Self-locking stand-alone cages showed a significantly lower rate of dysphagia and adjacent segment degeneration, while anterior cervical cage-with-plate could provide stronger postoperative stability and maintain better cervical spine alignment.

Indexed as

Deglutition DisordersRadiculopathySpinal Cord DiseasesSpinal FusionCervical VertebraeDiskectomyHumansNeck PainRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeAnterior cage-with-plateCervical spondylosisMultilevel anterior cervical discectomy and fusionSelf-locking stand-alone cage

Identifiers

PMID37020306
PMCPMC10074675
OpenAlexW4362639713

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.