ArticleScientific reports2026
Adult spinal process impingement syndrome: progression and staging.
Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
To investigate the progression of adult spinal process impingement (SPI) and provide a staging system through a retrospective long-term MRI-based longitudinal study. From April 2005 to April 2025, 132 patients who underwent at least four lumbar MRI scans prior to index lumbar surgery were enrolled. The mean follow-up duration was 11.7 ± 3.2 years. Patients were divided into two groups: group 1 (no SPI; n = 70, mean age 60.0 ± 6.4 years, F:M = 45:25) and group 2 (with SPI; n = 62, mean age 67.2 ± 7.1 years, F:M = 43:19). A novel SPI staging system and grading system for herniation of the interspinal ligament (HISL) was established. The analysis focused on the L3/S1 levels. Radiographic assessment included standing anteroposterior and flexion-extension lumbar radiography. Osteoporosis was evaluated using DEXA scans. In group 1, two interspinal ligament patterns were observed: normal MRI (76.7%) and fatty degeneration (23.3%). Group 2 showed 107 SPI levels: 25 at L3/L4, 61 at L4/L5, and 21 at L5/S1 levels. The SPI progresses through four stages: early (I), soft tissue (II), bone (III), and spinal stenosis (IV), with variable intervals. Osteoporosis is a key factor in the development of SPI. HISL appeared in 28 segments of group 2 but none in group 1 (p < 0.001). Of the HISL cases, 12 were mild, 9 were moderate, and 7 were severe. Lumbar decompression was performed in four moderate and five severe cases. This long-term longitudinal MRI study delineated the stages and natural progression of SPI. HISL was strongly associated with the SPI, and its size was the principal factor contributing to spinal stenosis.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.