ArticleThe journal of spinal cord medicine2026
Health care disparities in complication and mortality rates following surgical management of cauda equina syndrome in New York State.
Article in The journal of spinal cord medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Reply to letter Re: Chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy versus physical therapist-led exercise and the risk of cauda equina syndrome in adults with lumbar disc herniation, stenosis, or radiculopathy.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitation · 2026Article
- J. Robert Gladden Orthopaedic Society Research Grants: What is the Return on Investment?Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Global research & reviews · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
contextWhile healthcare disparities related to race and ethnicity are well reported for non-emergent conditions, the literature on disparities in outcomes of emergent spinal conditions such as cauda equina syndrome (CES) remains sparse.
objectiveTo evaluate racial disparities in complication, mortality, and readmission rates following surgical intervention for CES.
methodsThis retrospective analysis of The Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) database demonstrates that among patients surgically treated for CES in New York between 2015 and 2020. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the association of race and outcome variables after controlling for age, sex, comorbidities, length of stay, insurance, and hospital characteristics.
resultsOverall, 2,114 patients who underwent lumbar surgery for CES were identified. The study population was comprised of Black patients (177, 8%), White patients (79%, 1680), and Asian patients (257, 12%). Options for surgery included lumbar decompression (821, 38.8%), fusion (746, 35.3%), or both (547, 25.9%). On multivariate analysis, the odds of 30-day mortality were 2.98-fold greater in Black patients than in other patients (P = 0.029). By 180 and 360 days, the odds of mortality were 4.27 and 3.05-fold greater in Black patients than in other patients, respectively (P < 0.001 each). Thirty-day readmissions were 1.87-fold greater in Black patients than others (P = 0.004). No difference in overall complication rate was found between Black patients and all other race groups (P = 0.306).
conclusionsBlack patients surgically treated for CES face significantly higher rates of mortality and readmission than their non-Black counterparts.
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