Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40786924›Full record

ArticleSpine surgery and related research2025

Japan's Nationwide Trend in Scoliosis Surgery from 2014 to 2022; from a Country with a Declining Underage Population.

Kosei Nagata, Mitsuhiro Nishizawa

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Spine surgery and related research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Kosei NagataDepartment of Orthopaedic and Spine Surgery, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Mitsuhiro NishizawaDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, CA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Japan is experiencing a significant demographic shift characterized by a declining birthrate and an aging population. A previous report indicated a discrepancy between the trends in the number of spinal surgeries performed for minors and the overall population dynamics. Japan has the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups (NDB), which contains 99.9% of public health insurance claims from hospitals and 97.9% from clinics. This study aimed to investigate the annual number of scoliosis surgeries performed on patients aged 19 years in Japan, evaluate trends in relation to the overall population dynamics, and examine potential factors contributing to the observed changes. Methods: This retrospective study utilized NDB and census data. Scoliosis surgeries were identified using K-codes specific to the procedure. Population data were estimated using census and national birth records released by the Japan Cabinet Office. The number of surgeries per 100,000 minors was calculated, and trends were analyzed from 2014 to 2021. Results: The number of scoliosis surgeries for patients under 19 years old increased from 1,282 in 2014 to 1,850 in 2021, despite a decrease in the number of patients under 19 years old. The rate of scoliosis surgeries per 100,000 minors increased from 5.6 in 2014 to 9.1 in 2021, whereas other spinal fusion procedures for minors did not show significant changes during the same period. Conclusions: Despite a decline in the underage population, the number of scoliosis surgeries among minors has paradoxically increased in Japan. Improvements in screening tools and the April 2016 change in the law mandating a full motor examination, including scoliosis testing, may have affected this trend. Further follow-up studies are required.

Indexed as

epidemiologyminorsnationwide datanumber of surgeriesscoliosis

Identifiers

PMID40786924
PMCPMC12330378

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