Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41624554›Full record

ArticleEuropean journal of radiology open2026

Association of preoperative co-occurring intervertebral disc-related degenerative features with one-year lumbar discectomy outcomes: A proposal for and preliminary testing of a novel MRI-based criterion.

Tero Korhonen, Jyri Järvinen, Juha Pesälä, Marianne Haapea, Pietari Kinnunen, Jaakko Niinimäki

Abstract read
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Article in European journal of radiology open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Tero KorhonenMedical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, PO Box 10, Oulu 90029 OYS, Finland.
Jyri JärvinenMedical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, PO Box 10, Oulu 90029 OYS, Finland.
Juha PesäläDepartment of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Oulu University Hospital, PO Box 10, Oulu 90029 OYS, Finland.
Marianne HaapeaMedical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, PO Box 10, Oulu 90029 OYS, Finland.
Pietari KinnunenDepartment of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Oulu University Hospital, PO Box 10, Oulu 90029 OYS, Finland.
Jaakko NiinimäkiMedical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, PO Box 10, Oulu 90029 OYS, Finland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: This study developed a criterion for preoperative co-occurring intervertebral disc (IVD)-related degenerative features and evaluated its association with one-year outcomes following single-level lumbar discectomy. Methods: The novel literature-based criterion, termed "Advanced Preoperative Degeneration" (APD), required the operated segment to exhibit preoperatively at least two advanced-level phenotypes from endplate damage (EPD), Modic changes (MC), and IVD degeneration. Subsequently, a retrospective single-center register-based study of patients treated with single-level micro- or endoscopic lumbar discectomy at a tertiary-level hospital between 2017 and 2022 was performed. The patients were categorized into three groups, APD-positive, APD1/3, and APD0, based on the presence of two or more, one, or none of the required phenotypes, respectively. A mixed-effects model was employed to assess between-group differences in improvement of LBP and leg pain (0-100 VAS), disability (ODI), and quality of life (EQ-5D-3L) from baseline to the one-year postoperative time point. Results: The cohort consisted of 140 patients (mean age: 45.3 years; 81 [57.9 %] male). Overall, the patients exhibited significant improvements in all PROMs after discectomy. However, at the one-year follow-up, the APD-positive group exhibited significantly higher leg pain and disability levels than the APD0 group, with mean scores of 31.4 versus 19.6 for leg pain and 20.6 versus 12.0 for ODI, respectively. Conclusion: This study introduces a novel approach by integrating preoperative co-occurring IVD-related degenerative features into a composite APD criterion. Meeting the APD criterion was associated with significantly poorer one-year outcomes for leg pain and disability following lumbar discectomy.

Indexed as

DiscectomyEndplate damageIntervertebral disc degenerationLumbarModic changesOutcome

Identifiers

PMID41624554
PMCPMC12855554

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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.