Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39363471›Full record

ArticleNeurospine2024

Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Based Vertebral Bone Quality Score for Prediction of Cage Subsidence and Screw Loosening in Patients Undergoing Degenerative Lumbar Surgery: A Meta-analysis.

Fangke Hu, Lu Xue, Dong Zhao, Chao Chen, Feng Jing, Qiang Yang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neurospine, 2024. 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
–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

10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. MRI-based pedicle bone quality score predicts cage subsidence following oblique lumbar interbody fusion.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
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Endplate Hounsfield units outperform lumbar HU and VBQ in predicting cage subsidence after posterior lumbar interbody fusion: a retrospective cohort 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 · 2025
    Article
  9. Predictive value of vertebral specificity of bone mineral density for cage subsidence among patients undergoing anterior cervical diskectomy and fusion: a retrospective 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 · 2025
    Article
  10. 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.

Fangke HuDepartment of Spine Surgery, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.
Lu XueDepartment of Spine Surgery, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.
Dong ZhaoDepartment of Spine Surgery, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.
Chao ChenDepartment of Spine Surgery, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.
Feng JingDepartment of Spine Surgery, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.
Qiang YangDepartment of Spine Surgery, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China.

Funding

National Key R&D Program of China 2023YFC2416900National Natural Science Foundation of China 82372419Tianjin Education Commission Research Project 2022YGYB11Tianjin Key Scientific and Technological Project 21ZXJBSY00130
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivePoor bone quality is a risk factor for postoperative complications after degenerative lumbar fusion surgery. The magnetic resonance imaging-based vertebral bone quality (VBQ) score is a good tool for assessing bone quality, and this is the first meta-analysis performed to summarize the predictive value of the VBQ score for cage subsidence and screw loosening in patients undergoing degenerative lumbar surgery.

methodsStudies were comprehensively searched in electronic databases. The quality of the studies was assessed. The pooled sensitivity, specificity and summary receiver operating characteristic curve were calculated. Publication bias was assessed and meta-regression was conducted.

resultsWe ultimately included 9 studies with a total of 1,404 patients with a mean age of 60.4 years and a percentage of females of 57.0%. According to the QUADAS-2 (Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2) tool to assess methodological quality, the quality of the included studies was relatively low and risks of bias might exist. Results showed that a high VBQ was significantly associated with cage subsidence and screw loosening, and risk factor analysis revealed that the merged odds ratio was 5.37 for cage subsidence and 3.87 for screw loosening. With a VBQ cutoff value of 3.34±0.45, the pooled sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of postoperative complications were 0.75 and 0.75, respectively, and the area under the curve was 0.82 (95% confidence interval, 0.78-0.85).

conclusionA high VBQ was associated with a high risk of cage subsidence and screw loosening in patients who underwent degenerative lumbar surgery. The VBQ score could be considered for identifying high-risk patients for further evaluation.

Indexed as

Cage subsidenceDegenerative lumbar surgeryPostoperative complicationScrew looseningVertebral bone quality score

Identifiers

PMID39363471
PMCPMC11456935

What OpenQuestion holds

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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.