Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37840551›Full record

ArticleNorth American Spine Society journal2023

Benefits of lumbar spine fusion surgery reach 10 years with various surgical indications.

Leevi A Toivonen, Arja Häkkinen, Liisa Pekkanen, Kati Kyrölä, Hannu Kautiainen, Marko H Neva

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in North American Spine Society journal, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 38% 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

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

  1. Extent of fatty infiltration in lumbar paraspinal muscles in adults with degenerative scoliosis: segmental differences in muscle involvement.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
    Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Bone Growth Stimulators to Enhance Spinal Fusion Outcomes.Spine surgery and related research · 2026
    Review
  4. 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

6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Leevi A ToivonenDepartment of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Tampere University Hospital, Elämänaukio 2, PB 272, Tampere, 33101, Finland.
Arja HäkkinenFaculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, Seminaarinkatu 15, Jyväskylä, 40014, Finland.
Liisa PekkanenDepartment of Surgery, Central Finland Healthcare District, Hoitajantie 3, Jyväskylä, 40620, Finland.
Kati KyröläDepartment of Surgery, Central Finland Healthcare District, Hoitajantie 3, Jyväskylä, 40620, Finland.
Hannu KautiainenPrimary Health Care Unit, Kuopio University Hospital, Yliopistonranta 8, Kuopio, 70210, Finland.
Marko H NevaDepartment of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Tampere University Hospital, Elämänaukio 2, PB 272, Tampere, 33101, Finland.
Central Finland Health Care District · FITampere University Hospital · FIKuopio University Hospital · FIUniversity of Jyväskylä · FI

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background Context: Lumbar spine fusion (LSF) surgery is a viable form of treatment for several spinal disorders. Treatment effects are preferably to be endorsed in real-life settings. Methods: This prospective study evaluated the 10-year outcomes of LSF. A population-based series of elective LSFs performed at 2 spine centers between January 2008 and June 2012 were enrolled. Surgeries for tumor, acute fracture, or infection, neuromuscular scoliosis, or postoperative conditions were excluded. The following patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were collected at baseline, and 1, 2, 5, and 10 years postsurgery: VAS for back and leg pain, ODI, SF-36. Longitudinal measures of PROMs were analyzed using mixed-effects models. Results: A total of 683 patients met the inclusion criteria, and 630 (92%) of them completed baseline and at least 1 follow-up PROMs, and they constituted the study population. Mean age was 61 (SD 12) years, 69% women. According to surgical indication, patients were stratified into degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS, n=332, 53%), spinal stenosis (SS, n=102, 16%), isthmic spondylolisthesis (IS, n=97, 15%), degenerative disc disease (DDD, n=52, 8%), and deformity (DF, n=47, 7%).All diagnostic cohorts demonstrated significant improvement at 1 year, followed by a partial loss of benefits by 10 years. ODI baselines and changes at 1 and 10 years were: (DS) 45, -21, and -14; (SS) 51, -24, and -13; (IS) 41, -24, and -20; (DDD) 50, -20, and -20; and (DF) 50, -21, and -16, respectively. Comparable patterns were seen in pain scores. Significant HRQoL achievements were recorded in all cohorts, greatest in physical domains, but also substantial in mental aspects of HRQoL. Conclusions: Benefits of LSF were partially lost but still meaningful at 10 years of surgery. Long-term benefits seemed milder with degenerative conditions, reflecting the progress of the ongoing spinal degeneration. Benefits were most overt in pain and physical function measures.

Indexed as

IndicationLong-termLumbar spine fusionOutcomePatient reported outcomesPROM

Identifiers

PMID37840551
PMCPMC10570578
OpenAlexW4386568016

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.