ArticleCureus2026
Preoperative Motor and Sensory Dysfunction as Predictors of Permanent Neurological Deficit in Spinal Tuberculosis: A Retrospective Cohort Study.
Article in Cureus, 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
backgroundSpinal tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of permanent neurological deficit in endemic regions. Identifying preoperative factors associated with poor neurological outcomes could inform surgical decision-making, but high-quality predictor data are limited.
methodsWe retrospectively analyzed 27 consecutive adult patients who underwent surgical treatment for spinal TB at a tertiary neurosurgical center between January 2018 and December 2022. Permanent neurological deficit was defined as persistent motor weakness (Medical Research Council [MRC] grade ≤4) or sensory impairment at a minimum of 12 months postoperatively. Univariable associations were assessed using chi-square or Fisher's exact tests, with prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
resultsFifteen patients (55.6%) developed permanent neurological deficit. Two preoperative variables were significantly associated with poor outcomes: severe motor dysfunction (MRC 0-3) (PR 3.82, 95% CI 1.08-13.58; Fisher's exact test, p = 0.007) and diminished or absent sensation (PR 2.55, 95% CI 1.08-6.03; Fisher's exact test, p = 0.021). Cervical-thoracic involvement showed a non-significant trend toward worse outcomes (PR 2.20, 95% CI 0.93-5.18; Fisher's exact test, p = 0.057). Age, sex, comorbidities, sphincter dysfunction, number of vertebral levels affected, and radiological features including epidural compression were not significantly associated with permanent deficit.
conclusionsPreoperative motor and sensory status are the strongest available predictors of permanent neurological deficit in patients undergoing surgery for spinal TB. These findings support early identification and prioritization of patients with severe preoperative neurological compromise. Larger multicenter studies are needed to develop and externally validate quantitative risk prediction tools.
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.