Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40292162›Full record

ReviewJournal of craniovertebral junction & spine

Pediatric lumbar disc herniation: A systematic review of the state of management strategies and outcomes (2010-2024).

Gerald Musa, Wila Namonje, Keith Simfukwe, Karina Marisel Familia, Bupe Mumba Mwela, Dimitri T K Ndandja, Manuel De Jesus Encarnacion Ramirez, Samuel Chilawa, Kachinga Agrippa Sichizya, Laston Chikoya and 2 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of craniovertebral junction & spine. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing 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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. [Lumbar disc herniation].Orthopadie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2026
    Review
  2. Minimally invasive tubular lumbar microdiscectomy in pediatric patients: a single-center case series.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Pediatric lumbosacral disc herniation: risk factors, surgical outcomes, and the potential impact of the lockdown associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2026
    Article
  6. 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

12 authors.

Gerald MusaDepartment Surgery, Neurosurgery Unit, Livingstone Teaching Hospital, Livingstone, Zambia.
Wila NamonjeMedical Institute, Peoples Friendship University of Russia Named After Patrice Lumumba (RUDN), Moscow, Russia.
Keith SimfukweDepartment of Surgery, Neurosurgery Unit, Mainasoko Medical Center Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia.
Karina Marisel FamiliaDepartment of Neurological Disease and Neurosurgery, Peoples Friendship University of Russia Named After Patrice Lumumba (RUDN), Moscow, Russia.
Bupe Mumba MwelaDepartment Surgery, Neurosurgery Unit, Livingstone Teaching Hospital, Livingstone, Zambia.
Dimitri T K NdandjaDepartment of Neurological Disease and Neurosurgery, Peoples Friendship University of Russia Named After Patrice Lumumba (RUDN), Moscow, Russia.
Manuel De Jesus Encarnacion RamirezDepartment of Neurological Disease and Neurosurgery, Peoples Friendship University of Russia Named After Patrice Lumumba (RUDN), Moscow, Russia.
Samuel ChilawaDepartement of Surgery, Michael Chilufya Sata Medical University, Ndola, Zambia.
Kachinga Agrippa SichizyaDepartment of Surgery, Neurosurgery Unit, University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia.
Laston ChikoyaDepartment of Neurosurgery, Levy Mwanawasa Medical University, Lusaka, Zambia.
Gennady E ChmutinDepartment of Neurological Disease and Neurosurgery, Peoples Friendship University of Russia Named After Patrice Lumumba (RUDN), Moscow, Russia.
Andreas K DemetriadesEdinburgh Spinal Surgery Outcome Studies Group, Department of Neurosurgery, Royal Infirmary Edinburgh, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Pediatric lumbar disc herniation (LDH) presents unique challenges compared to adult cases due to anatomical and developmental differences in the spine. This systematic review aims to consolidate evidence on the management and outcomes of pediatric LDH. Research Question: What are the clinical outcomes and efficacy of conservative and surgical treatments for pediatric LDH? Materials and Methods: A systematic review of studies from 2010 to 2024 was conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. Databases including PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Library were searched for studies reporting on pediatric LDH treatment outcomes. Pain, disability, recurrence, and complication rates were extracted and assessed. The Joanna Briggs Institute checklist was used to evaluate bias. Results: The review included 861 pediatric patients across 14 studies, with a mean age of 14.88 years and a male predominance (59.6%). The most commonly affected levels were L5/S1 (53%) and L4/L5 (43.8%). Conservative treatment was employed in 9.9% (n = 66), whereas microdiscectomy, endoscopic discectomy, and fusion were performed in 53.7% (n = 360), 32.2% (n = 216), 4.2% (n = 28), respectively. Postoperatively, improvements in pain (Visual Analog Scale: 6.15-1.33) and disability (Oswestry Disability Index: 42.09-7.01) were noted. The recurrence rate was 1.7% postoperatively and 42.4% following conservative management (average follow-up period of 23.78 months). Complication rate was 3%. Discussion and Conclusion: Pediatric LDH is primarily associated with sports-related trauma. Minimally invasive techniques such as endoscopic and microdiscectomy demonstrate good early and long-term outcomes, and low complications and recurrence rates. There is a paucity of studies comparing management techniques, particularly ones discussing conservative management, which may represent underreporting.

Indexed as

Conservative treatmentmanagement strategiesoutcomespediatric lumbar disc herniationsurgerysystematic review

Identifiers

PMID40292162
PMCPMC12029382

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-SA
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.