Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37882830›Full record

ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2024

Lower preoperative Hounsfield unit values as a risk factor for poor 5-year clinical outcomes after lumbar spine surgery.

Hiroshi Taniwaki, Masatoshi Hoshino, Yuki Kinoshita, Akira Matsumura, Takashi Namikawa, Minori Kato, Shinji Takahashi, Hiroaki Nakamura

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In one paragraph

Article in 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, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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. Article
  2. Opportunistic Hounsfield units measurements on computed tomography scans can predict the number of prevalent vertebral compression fractures in older adults.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
    Article
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  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

8 authors.

Hiroshi TaniwakiDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Osaka City General Hospital, 2-13-22, Miyakojima Hon-Dori, Miyakojima-Ku, Osaka City, Osaka, 534-0021, Japan. tanishi517@gmail.com.ORCID 0000-0002-8788-3322
Masatoshi HoshinoDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Osaka City General Hospital, 2-13-22, Miyakojima Hon-Dori, Miyakojima-Ku, Osaka City, Osaka, 534-0021, Japan.
Yuki KinoshitaDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Osaka City General Hospital, 2-13-22, Miyakojima Hon-Dori, Miyakojima-Ku, Osaka City, Osaka, 534-0021, Japan.
Akira MatsumuraDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Osaka City General Hospital, 2-13-22, Miyakojima Hon-Dori, Miyakojima-Ku, Osaka City, Osaka, 534-0021, Japan.
Takashi NamikawaDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Osaka City General Hospital, 2-13-22, Miyakojima Hon-Dori, Miyakojima-Ku, Osaka City, Osaka, 534-0021, Japan.
Minori KatoDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
Shinji TakahashiDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
Hiroaki NakamuraDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Osaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveHounsfield Unit (HU) value has been associated with future osteoporotic fractures and postoperative complications. However, no studies on the impact of low HU values on mid-term clinical outcomes following lumbar spine surgery have been reported. We aimed to evaluate the usefulness of preoperative HU values for 5-year clinical outcomes following lumbar spine surgery.

methodsWe enrolled 200 patients who underwent lumbar surgery (≤ 3-disc levels) for lumbar spinal stenosis. HU values were assessed using preoperative lumbar computed tomography as part of routine preoperative planning for lumbar surgery. Patients were divided into two groups based on the cutoff value of the HU values obtained from the receiver operating characteristic curve for the incidence of vertebral fractures within five years postoperatively. Clinical scores preoperatively and 1, 2, and 5 years postoperatively, including Japanese Orthopedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire (JOABPEQ) and Short Form-36 (SF-36), were compared using a mixed-effects model.

resultsComparative analysis indicated that all domains of JOABPEQ, except for lumbar function, and the physical component summary of the SF-36 were significantly worse in the low HU group than in the high HU group. Using multiple regression analysis, low HU values were significantly correlated with worse 5-year postoperative scores in all domains of JOABPEQ and SF-36.

conclusionLow preoperative HU values are a risk factor for poor 5-year clinical outcomes after lumbar spine surgery. HU values are not only a valuable tool for analyzing bone mineral density but also may be a valuable poor prognostic factor of postoperative clinical outcomes.

Indexed as

Lumbar VertebraeSpinal StenosisBack PainBone DensityHumansRetrospective StudiesRisk FactorsHounsfield unitsLumbar spine surgeryOsteoporosisPreoperative evaluationVertebral fractures

Identifiers

PMID37882830

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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.