Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40512192›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 Society2026

Nationwide analysis of spinal surgery in Japan from 1994 to 2021.

Sadayuki Ito, Shiro Imagama, Hiroaki Nakashima, Masaaki Machino, Toshinori Sakai, Toshimi Aizawa, Hideyuki Arima, Hideaki Hamanaka, Yuyu Ishimoto, Satoshi Kato and 20 more

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
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, 2026. 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

30 authors.

Sadayuki ItoNagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
Shiro ImagamaNagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan. imagama@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp.
Hiroaki NakashimaNagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
Masaaki MachinoMeijo Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Toshinori SakaiTokushima University Graduate School, Tokusima, Japan.
Toshimi AizawaTohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
Hideyuki ArimaHamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.
Hideaki HamanakaUniversity of Miyazaki, Kihara, Kiyotake, Japan.
Yuyu IshimotoWakayama Medical University, Wakayama-city, Wakayama, Japan.
Satoshi KatoKanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan.
Yoshiharu KawaguchiUniversity of Toyama, Sugitani, Toyama, Toyama, Japan.
Hiroaki KonishiNagasaki Rosai Hospital, Sasebo, Nagasaki, Japan.
Naohisa MiyakoshiAkita University Graduate School of Medicine, Akita, Japan.
Hideki MurakamiNagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan.
Yukitaka NagamotoOsaka Rosai Hospital, Nagasonecho, Sakaishi, Japan.
Kazuo NakanishiKawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki-City, Japan.
Kotaro NishidaUniversity of the Ryukyus, Ginowan City, Japan.
Tetsuro OhbaUniversity of Yamanashi, Kofu, Japan.
Shinya OkudaHoshigaoka Medical Center, Hirakata, Japan.
Koji OtaniFukushima Medical University, Fukushima City, Japan.
Kota SudaHokkaido Spinal Cord Injury Center, Bibai, Japan.
Nobuyuki SuzukiNagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan.
Eiji TakasawaGunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Japan.
Hidetomi TeraiOsaka Metropolitan University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
Fumitake TezukaTokushima University Graduate School, Tokusima, Japan.
Yu YamatoHamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.
Yasutsugu YukawaNagoya Kyoritsu Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Tokumi KanemuraKonan Kosei Hospital, Konan, Japan.
Masashi TakasoKitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Japan.
Hiroshi TakahashiToho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeIn this study, we aimed to compare the latest 2021 survey data with findings from 1994, 2001, and 2011 to elucidate the trends and transformations in spinal surgery over the past quarter-century.

methodsData from the 2021 survey were compared with retrospective data from previous surveys. The 2021 survey collected data on patient demographics, surgical techniques, and perioperative complications of spinal surgeries performed in November 2021 from 739 facilities. Trends in patient age, disease type, surgical approach, and complication rates were analyzed over time.

resultsThe most common age group shifted from 40 to 59 years in 1994 to the 70s by 2011 and 2021. Degenerative diseases, particularly lumbar spinal stenosis, remain prevalent with an increase in trauma and osteoporotic fractures. Surgical techniques have evolved with a decline in anterior approaches and an increase in minimally invasive and posterior surgeries. Complication rates remained stable, ranging from 8.6 to 10.4%, with a slight increase by 2021 (8.8%). However, dural tears have become more common, likely because of the technical demands of minimally invasive and instrumented surgeries.

conclusionsThe aging population of Japan has influenced spinal surgery demographics, and minimally invasive techniques have become more common, underscoring the need for enhanced training, improved techniques, and strategies tailored to older patients to improve future spinal surgery outcomes and support policy development.

Indexed as

Orthopedic ProceduresSpinal DiseasesAdultAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansJapanMaleMiddle AgedMinimally Invasive Surgical ProceduresPostoperative ComplicationsRetrospective StudiesComplicationsMinimally invasive techniquesSpinal surgeryTrends

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.