Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40037323›Full record

ArticleAsian spine journal2025

Functional outcomes of microdiscectomy in Bertolotti syndrome: the relationship between lumbosacral transitional vertebrae and lumbar disc herniation: a prospective study in Greece.

Stylianos Kapetanakis, Krikor Gkoumousian, Nikolaos Gkantsinikoudis, Constantinos Chaniotakis

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Asian spine journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing 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

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

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. 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

4 authors.

Stylianos KapetanakisSpine Department and Deformities, Interbalkan European Medical Center, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Krikor GkoumousianSpine Department and Deformities, Interbalkan European Medical Center, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Nikolaos GkantsinikoudisSpine Department and Deformities, Interbalkan European Medical Center, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Constantinos ChaniotakisSpine Department and Deformities, Interbalkan European Medical Center, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

STUDY

designThe lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (LSTV) in patients with Bertolotti syndrome (BS) cause alterations in the biomechanics of the lumbosacral junction. These entities have been associated with secondary conditions, such as lumbar disc herniation (LDH). PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical outcomes of microdiscectomy in patients with symptomatic LDH and BS. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: There is limited data in the literature on the functional outcomes of patients with LSTV who undergo microdiscectomy.

methodsThis study enrolled 308 patients diagnosed with LDH and concurrent LSTV. All patients underwent microdiscectomy. Clinical evaluation was performed preoperatively and at distinct follow-up intervals of 1, 3, 6, and 12 months, and 2 and 5 years postoperatively. Assessment included clinical examination and implementation of the well-established, patient-reported outcome measures Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Short-Form 36 (SF-36) Medical Health Survey Questionnaire for Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) analysis. Furthermore, the anatomical relationship between LSTV and LDH was also studied.

resultsThe SF-36 indices and VAS score were statistically significantly ameliorated within the follow-up period. Maximum improvement was noted at 3 months, with further minimal improvement after 6 months, and stabilization of indices until the end of followup. Castellvi type IB was the most frequent LSTV type. The adjacent level (L4-L5) just above the LSTV was the most affected with an incidence of 72.1%. In the subgroups of Castellvi type IA, IIA, and IIIA, the LDH side was ipsilateral with the LSTV in 38.3% of patients. In this study, all patients underwent microdiscectomy and demonstrated favorable clinical outcomes (functional recovery and pain relief) and notable amelioration of HRQoL.

conclusionsTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to conduct a holistic assessment in an attempt to delineate the impact of LSTV presence on the postoperative HRQoL of these individuals.

Indexed as

DiscectomyIntervertebral discLumbosacral regionQuality of lifeRadiculopathies

Identifiers

PMID40037323
PMCPMC11895107

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.