Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39907776›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 Society2025

Quantified MRI measurements show the significance of indirect decompression in the lumbar spine.

Casey A Slattery, Solomon Oloyede, Kylan Larsen, Andrew Paterson, Urvij Modhia, Umesh Metkar

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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, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing 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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Disparity between early radiographic decompression and one-year patient satisfaction after single-level LLIF: proposal of the structural improvement score (SIS) and QOL improvement score (QIS).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
  2. 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

6 authors.

Casey A SlatteryDepartment of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, SC10 5600 1, USA.
Solomon OloyedeDepartment of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, SC10 5600 1, USA.
Kylan LarsenDepartment of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, SC10 5600 1, USA. kylarsen@salud.unm.edu.ORCID 0000-0001-7006-4948
Andrew PatersonDepartment of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, SC10 5600 1, USA.
Urvij ModhiaDepartment of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, SC10 5600 1, USA.
Umesh MetkarDepartment of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, SC10 5600 1, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeAlthough several studies have documented indirect decompression after oblique lateral interbody fusion (OLIF), limited research exists that directly quantifies the degree of decompression. This study seeks to quantify the degree of indirect decompression achieved by OLIF using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

methodsThis is a retrospective study of consecutive adult patients at a single institution who underwent multistage lumbar interbody fusion via antepsoas (OLIF) retroperitoneal approach for spinal stenosis with radiculopathy. Pre and Postoperative MRI were used to measure the following radiologic parameters: anterior and posterior disc heights, bilateral foraminal height, bilateral foraminal area, bilateral subarticular recess width, and thecal sac area. Paired sample t-tests were performed to evaluate pre and postoperative changes in MRI measurements.

resultsA total of 24 patients (age 66.4 ± 5.98, BMI 29.3 ± 4.73) with a total of 63 operative levels were reviewed: L1-L2 (3), L2-L3 (17), L3-L4 (22), L4-L5 (22). Anterior disc height, posterior disc height, bilateral foraminal height, bilateral foraminal area, bilateral subarticular lateral recess, and thecal sac area all demonstrated a statistically significant improvement (p < 0.05) for all levels except L1-L2.

conclusionsOLIF provides a significant amount of indirect decompression from L2-L5 including increased anterior and posterior disc height, bilateral foraminal height, bilateral foraminal area, bilateral subarticular recess, and thecal sac area. The proximal adjacent level above an interbody level also shows increased foraminal height and area.

Indexed as

Decompression, SurgicalLumbar VertebraeMagnetic Resonance ImagingRadiculopathySpinal FusionSpinal StenosisAgedFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeLumbar indirect decompressionMinimally invasive spine surgery, MISSMRI comparative studyOblique lateral interbody fusionOLIF

Identifiers

PMID39907776

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Registered trials

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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.