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
Relationship between posterior paraspinal muscle fat infiltration and early conversion to lumbar spinal fusion following decompression surgery.
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 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Preoperative paraspinal muscle fatty infiltration and prognosis after lumbar discectomy for disc herniation: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Pooled it
- Clinical significance and future applications of standardized imaging parameters for assessing paraspinal muscle fatty infiltration in lumbar degenerative disease: a narrative review.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Review
- Frailty-Muscle Phenotypes Predict Outcomes After Lumbar Fusion in Adults Aged ≥75 Years: A Retrospective Cohort Study.Neurospine · 2026Article
- Letter to the editor concerning "relationship between posterior paraspinal muscle fat infiltration and early conversion to lumbar spinal fusion following decompression surgery" by Chiapparelli E, et al. (Eur spine J [2025]: doi: 10.1007/s00586-025-09030-5).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 · 2025Article
- Early-stage lumbar paraspinal muscle injury: endoscopic versus transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion: a retrospective comparative analysis.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
17 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeSpinal stenosis, a common degenerative condition causing back pain and neurogenic claudication, often requires decompression surgery when conservative treatments fail. This study investigates the relationship between posterior paraspinal muscle (PPM) measurements and early conversion to lumbar fusion in patients following decompression surgery. Understanding this relationship is crucial, as prior research suggests paraspinal fat infiltration impacts spinal alignment and surgical outcomes, potentially necessitating revision lumbar fusion surgery.
methodsAn institutional database of posterior lumbar fusion patients was reviewed, excluding those with prior fusion history and missing pre-decompression MRIs. Conversions within two years post-decompression were "early conversion," those between 2 and 5 years "intermediate conversion," and those 5 years or later "late conversion." Muscle segmentations were performed using ITK-SNAP, with ROI set in the bilateral psoas muscle and PPM on preoperative T2-weighted axial MRI at the superior endplate of L4. Muscle metrics were calculated using Matlab™, and sagittal alignment was assessed on sagittal standing spinal radiographs.
resultsThe final analysis included 50 patients, with early conversion to fusion observed in 21 patients (42%), intermediate in 14 patients (28%), and late in 15 patients (30%). Patients with early conversion showed significantly higher total PPM FI compared to those with late conversion (p = 0.03). No differences were noted in sagittal alignment measurements among groups.
conclusionHigher PPM FI may estimate early conversion to lumbar fusion post-decompression surgery, emphasizing the importance of muscle health in surgical planning and patient management for spinal stenosis. Further research is needed to refine risk stratification and optimize treatment strategies.
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