Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39470882›Full record

ReviewSpine deformity2025

Role of spinal MRI for pre-operative work up in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a retrospective case study and narrative review.

Sassan Keshavarzi, Griffin Harris, Subaraman Ramchandran, Noah Gabor, Jeffrey Spardy, Thomas Errico, John Ragheb, Stephen George

Abstract readReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Spine deformity, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing 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

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. 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

8 authors.

Sassan KeshavarziDepartment of Neurosurgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, USA.
Griffin HarrisUniversity of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, USA.
Subaraman RamchandranDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Center for Spinal Disorders, Nicklaus Children's Hospital, 3100 SW 62nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33155, USA. Subaraman.ramchandran@nicklaushealth.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7666-8574
Noah GaborUniversity of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, USA.
Jeffrey SpardyFlorida International University Herbert Wertheim School of Medicine, Miami, USA.
Thomas ErricoDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Center for Spinal Disorders, Nicklaus Children's Hospital, 3100 SW 62nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33155, USA.
John RaghebDepartment of Neurosurgery, Nicklaus Children's Hospital, Miami, FL, USA.
Stephen GeorgeDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Center for Spinal Disorders, Nicklaus Children's Hospital, 3100 SW 62nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33155, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThere remains variability in the acquisition of whole-spine MRI prior to surgical correction in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). In this study, we take a retrospective look at the clinical impact of uniformly obtaining spinal MRI on all patients with a diagnosis of AIS.

methodsThree hundred thirty four patients with presumed AIS who underwent surgery between 2017 and 2022 were identified; 283 of these patients who were asymptomatic and had a preoperative MRI in the database were included. We investigated radiographic, demographic, and clinical risk factors for the presence of neural axis anomalies. Radiologists' reports were reviewed to determine the level of the conus medullaris and the presence of any intra-spinal dysraphisms. The utility of known risk factors for neural axis anomalies and the utility of MRI identifying anomalies on clinical decision-making, intra-operative neuromonitoring (IONM) alerts, and postoperative neurologic insult in asymptomatic AIS patients were investigated.

resultsThere were 283 patients with a mean age of 14.1 years, 67 males (22.6%) and 26 (9.2%) left-sided thoracic curves. MRI identified nine patients with central cord dilations, four patients with low cerebellar tonsils, four patients with Chiari Malformations, five patients with low-lying conus, one patient with a tethered cord, and five patients with arachnoid cysts. Six (2.1%) of the 283 patients underwent a neurosurgical intervention and 3 (50%) of the 6 went on to have IONM alerts. Eighteen (6.4%) of the 283 patients had IONM alerts and 5 (28%) of the 18 had neural axis anomalies. None of the patients with IONM alerts had a permanent neurologic deficit post-operatively.

conclusionIn asymptomatic patients presumed to have AIS, 9.9% had a neuro-axis anomaly, 2.1% needed a neurosurgical intervention, and 6.4% of the patients had an IONM alert. We did not find known risk factors for identifying neural axis anomalies to have statistically significant application in asymptomatic AIS patients. Presence of neuroaxis anomalies increased the chance of having IONM alerts, however, we were unable to demonstrate if neurosurgical interventions in these patients with anomalies were preventative for IONM alerts or have statistically significant protection against clinical complications.

Indexed as

Magnetic Resonance ImagingPreoperative CareScoliosisSpineAdolescentChildFemaleHumansMaleRetrospective StudiesRisk FactorsAdolescent idiopathic scoliosisNeurological abnormalitiesPreoperative MRISpine fusion

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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.