ReviewGlobal spine journal2026
Is Implant Removal After Thoracolumbar Fracture Fixation Truly Necessary? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Radiological, Functional and Safety Outcomes.
Review in Global spine journal, 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
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Study DesignSystematic review and Meta-analysis.ObjectiveTo compare radiological, functional and safety outcomes of implant removal vs implant retention following posterior fixation of thoracolumbar (TL) fractures.MethodsFollowing PRISMA guidelines, we searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane library from inception to October 2025. Randomised controlled trials (RCT) and comparative cohort studies comparing outcomes between planned implant removal and retention were considered. Primary outcome measures were Cobb angle correction, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and surgical site infection (SSI). Secondary outcomes included pain scores, kyphosis progression, reoperation rates, and patient reported outcome measures (PROM). Random effects models generated pooled mean differences (MD) and odds ratio (OR).ResultsEight studies with 571 patients met the inclusion criteria. Radiological outcomes were comparable between the groups. Improvements in Cobb angle were similar for the 2 groups [MD: 5.04°, 95% CI: 0.03-10.05 (implant removal group) vs MD 6.38°, 95% CI: 1.89-10.87 (implant retention group);
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Registered trials
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