Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39524184›Full record

ArticleNorth American Spine Society journal2024

External validation of the smartphone-based 6-minute walking test in patients with degenerative lumbar disorders undergoing epidural steroid injection.

Michal Ziga, Martin N Stienen, Anna Maria Zeitlberger, Stefanos Voglis, Luca Regli, Oliver Bozinov, Nicolai Maldaner

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in North American Spine Society journal, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing 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

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. The Core Outcome Measures Index (COMI) comes of age: 18 years of efficient and effective patient-reported outcome measurement in the field of spinal disorders. Part 2. COMI item-content, scoring, language versions, and applications.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
    Review
  5. The Core Outcome Measures Index (COMI) comes of age: 18 years of efficient and effective patient-reported outcome measurement in the field of spinal disorders. Part 1. Development of the COMI, interpretation of scores, and use in research.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
    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

7 authors.

Michal ZigaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Kantonsspital St. Gallen & Medical School of St.Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Martin N StienenDepartment of Neurosurgery, Kantonsspital St. Gallen & Medical School of St.Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Anna Maria ZeitlbergerDepartment of Neurosurgery, Kantonsspital St. Gallen & Medical School of St.Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Stefanos VoglisDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Zurich & Clinical Neuroscience Centre, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Luca RegliDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Zurich & Clinical Neuroscience Centre, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Oliver BozinovDepartment of Neurosurgery, Kantonsspital St. Gallen & Medical School of St.Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Nicolai MaldanerDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Zurich & Clinical Neuroscience Centre, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The 6-minute walking test (6WT) has previously shown to be reliable and valid outcome measure in patients undergoing surgery for degenerative lumbar disorders (DLD). A role of 6WT in conservatively treated patients undergoing epidural steroid injection (ESI) remains unclear. Methods: About 50 patients with DLD, scheduled for ESI were assessed by the smartphone-based 6WT and common paper-based patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), including the Core Outcome Measures Index [COMI] back, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and Short Form Survey (SF-12). Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) was used to define the relationship between 6WT and PROMs. Reliability of the 6WT was determined by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Age- and sex-adjusted objective functional impairment (OFI) z-scores were calculated for each patient. Results: A total of 50 patients (mean age 52 years, SD 13; 25% female), including 35 patients (70%) with lumbar disc herniation and 15 patients (30%) with lumbar spinal stenosis were included. The mean 6-minute walking distance (6WD) was 454.1 m (SD 89.1); the age- and sex-adjusted mean OFI z-score was -2.1 (SD 4.0). A total of 17 (34%) patients had mild, 8 (16%) moderate, and 4 (8%) severe OFI, while 21 (42%) had 6WT results within the normal population range (no OFI). The PCCs between the 6WD and VAS back pain were r=-0.30, ODI r=-0.43, COMI back r=-0.36, and PCS-12 r=0.51 (all p<.05). The ICC of the 6WT was β=0.92. Conclusions: This external validation in a patient cohort with DLD, which was managed conservatively, confirms the reliability and content validity of the 6WT with similar PCCs with PROMs compared to the original surgical cohort. The results confirm the 6WT as a valid and useful tool for assessing OFI in patients with DLD and a broad range of functional restrictions in an outpatient setting.

Indexed as

6-minute walking test6WTExternal validityFunctional self-assessmentObjective functional impairment

Identifiers

PMID39524184
PMCPMC11546260

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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.