SynthesisEuropean journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie2026
Posterior-only versus combined anterior-posterior approaches for thoracolumbar burst fractures: a meta-analysis.
Synthesis in European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie, 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
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThoracolumbar burst fractures are among the most common spinal injuries, and optimal surgical management remains controversial. Evidence comparing posterior-only and combined anterior-posterior fixation strategies remains inconsistent.
methodsA systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar was conducted up to November 2025 to identify comparative studies evaluating posterior-only versus combined anterior-posterior fixation for thoracolumbar burst fractures. Nineteen studies (predominantly retrospective; 15 non-randomized and 4 randomized) met inclusion criteria, comprising 1553 patients. Outcomes included perioperative parameters (operative time, blood loss, hospital stay), neurological recovery (Frankel scores), pain and functional outcomes (VAS, ODI, RMDQ, return-to-work rates), radiological parameters (Cobb angle correction, canal compromise recovery), and complication rates (infection, instrumentation failure, pulmonary complications).
resultsPosterior-only fixation was associated with significantly reduced blood loss (MD = - 438.21 mL, p < 0.001), shorter operative time (MD = - 121.66 min, p < 0.001), and shorter hospital stay (MD = - 5.62 days, p < 0.001), although heterogeneity was substantial for perioperative outcomes. Pulmonary complications were also lower in the posterior group (RR = 0.16, p = 0.009). No significant differences were found between approaches in neurological improvement, pain scores, functional recovery, radiological correction, infection rates, or instrumentation failure.
conclusionsBoth posterior-only and combined anterior-posterior fixation show broadly similar neurological, radiological, and functional outcomes in thoracolumbar burst fractures. Posterior-only fixation was associated with perioperative advantages and a lower risk of pulmonary complications. Surgical decision-making should therefore be individualized based on fracture morphology, neurological status, and patient-specific factors, particularly given that most included evidence remains observational.
Indexed as
Identifiers
42249999What 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.