Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41433244›Full record

Trial reportPloS one2025

Surgical versus conservative treatment of odontoid fractures in the elderly: A randomized controlled clinical study (SCORE).

Arthur Wagner, Carolin Albrecht, Sophie Dittmer, Silvia Egert-Schwender, Victoria Kehl, Rita Stichling, Gisela Klatt, Barbara Ettinger, Nils Hecht, Peter Vajkoczy and 29 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readEquivalence TrialMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06961578 (Surgical Versus Conservative Treatment of Odontoid Fractures in the Elderly), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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

NCT06961578 narecruitingnot on this map

Surgical Versus Conservative Treatment of Odontoid Fractures in the Elderly: A Randomised Controlled Clinical Study (SCORE)

TypeinterventionalSponsorTechnical University of MunichRan2025 to 2028Enrolled322ConditionsOdontoid Fracture, ElderlyArmsC1-2 instrumentation, External immobilization with rigid cervical collar
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

39 authors.

Arthur WagnerDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9947-2240
Carolin AlbrechtDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.
Sophie DittmerMünchner Studienzentrum, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.
Silvia Egert-SchwenderMünchner Studienzentrum, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.
Victoria KehlMünchner Studienzentrum, School of Medicine and Health, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.
Rita StichlingOsteoporose Selbsthilfegruppen Dachverband e.V., Gotha, Germany.
Gisela KlattBundesselbsthilfeverband für Osteoporose e.V., Wendelstein, Germany.
Barbara EttingerBundesselbsthilfeverband für Osteoporose e.V., Landesverband Bayern, Kitzingen, Germany.
Nils HechtDepartment of Neurosurgery, Charité University Hospital, Berlin, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9989-649X
Peter VajkoczyDepartment of Neurosurgery, Charité University Hospital, Berlin, Germany.
Alexander WengertDepartment of Spine Surgery, BG Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.
Frank KandzioraDepartment of Spine Surgery, BG Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.
Nicolas Heinz von der HöhDepartment of Orthopaedic, Trauma and Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Christoph-Eckhard HeydeDepartment of Orthopaedic, Trauma and Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Philipp HartungSpine Center, St.-Josefs-Hospital, Wiesbaden, Germany.
Marcus RichterSpine Center, St.-Josefs-Hospital, Wiesbaden, Germany.
Maximilian LenzDepartment of Orthopedics and Traumatology, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Peer EyselDepartment of Orthopedics and Traumatology, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
Andreas BadkeDepartment of Spine Surgery, BG Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Christian BlumeDepartment of Neurosurgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany.
Hans ClusmannDepartment of Neurosurgery, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8258-9346
Johannes WalterDepartment of Neurosurgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Sandro KriegDepartment of Neurosurgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
Petros EvangelouDepartment of Neurosurgery, Medical University Lausitz Carl Thiem, Cottbus, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3595-0367
Ehab ShibanDepartment of Neurosurgery, Medical University Lausitz Carl Thiem, Cottbus, Germany.
Marc DreimannSpine Center, Orthopaedic Hospital Markgröningen, Markgröningen, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1055-8695
Oliver GembruchDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.
Ulrich SureDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9073-1821
Christoph BettagDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
Veit RohdeDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
Alexander DischDepartment of Spine Surgery, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
Biniam BekeleDepartment of Neurosurgery, Helios Hospital Berlin-Buch, Berlin, Germany.
Yu-Mi RyangDepartment of Neurosurgery, Helios Hospital Berlin-Buch, Berlin, Germany.
Andreas KramerDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Munich LMU, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0168-0178
Florian RingelDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Munich LMU, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany.
Johannes WachDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany.
Erdem GüresirDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany.
Bernhard MeyerDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6486-7955
Maria WostrackDepartment of Neurosurgery, University Hospital, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOdontoid fractures of the second cervical vertebra commonly affect elderly patients due to osteoporosis and low-energy trauma. Treatment is controversial, with prolonged cervical collar immobilization risking non-union and complications, and surgical C1-C2 stabilization involving higher upfront surgical risks. High-level evidence from randomized controlled trials to guide optimal treatment decisions is lacking. The SCORE study aims to determine whether surgical stabilization is non-inferior to conservative collar management in maintaining functional independence for elderly patients with unstable odontoid fractures.

methodsSCORE is a multicenter, parallel-group, randomized controlled non-inferiority trial enrolling 322 patients aged ≥70 years with acute (≤2 weeks) unstable odontoid Type II, III, or atypical fractures. Participants will be randomized 1:1, stratified by center, to receive surgical stabilization via posterior C1-C2 fixation or conservative management with a rigid cervical collar. The primary outcome measure is the change in Barthel Index (BI) from baseline to 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes include quality of life (EQ-5D), neck pain (Visual Analog Scale, VAS), neck disability (Neck Disability Index, NDI), radiographic fusion, treatment compliance, cross-over rates to surgery, and incidence of adverse and serious adverse events up to 6 months. Follow-ups will take place at 12 weeks and 6 months post-injury, with an additional visit at approximately 2 weeks post-surgery for surgical patients. Analysis will use mixed models for repeated measures, targeting 90% power to detect non-inferiority within a 5-point margin on the BI (one-sided α = 0.025), accounting for 15% attrition. DISCUSSION: This trial addresses a critical evidence gap by directly comparing surgical and conservative treatments, aiming to guide clinical decision-making and improve functional outcomes and quality of life in elderly patients.

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT06961578.

Indexed as

Conservative TreatmentOdontoid ProcessSpinal FracturesAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHumansMaleQuality of LifeTreatment Outcome

Identifiers

PMID41433244
PMCPMC12725657

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Registered trials

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.