SynthesisOrthopaedic surgery2026
Systematic Review of Paraspinal Muscle Changes in Lumbar Spondylolisthesis: MRI and CT Insights.
Synthesis in Orthopaedic surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Systematic Review of Paraspinal Muscle Changes in Lumbar Spondylolisthesis: MRI and CT Insights.Orthopaedic surgery · 2026Pooled it
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSpondylolisthesis is a frequently encountered condition in orthopedics, requiring dynamic stability maintained primarily by the paraspinal muscles. This systematic review evaluates the cross-sectional area (CSA) and fat infiltration (FI) of paraspinal muscles-specifically the multifidus, erector spinae, and psoas major-in lumbar spondylolisthesis (LS) to understand their roles in spinal stability and progression in degenerative and isthmic forms.
methodsFollowing PRISMA guidelines, PubMed, Cochrane, and Scopus were searched as of September 2024. Fourteen retrospective studies using MRI/CT imaging met inclusion criteria, focusing on CSA and FI in LS. Data were extracted from studies that assessed spinal instability through vertebral slippage measurements or comparisons with asymptomatic controls.
resultsThe findings indicate that reduced CSA and increased FI in paraspinal muscles, especially the multifidus, are associated with spinal instability and progressive vertebral slippage. Several studies reported reductions in CSA and increases in FI in patients with spondylolisthesis, although methods and anatomical levels varied across studies. Compensatory hypertrophy of the erector spinae and psoas major was observed, particularly in isthmic cases.
conclusionsThese findings support the potential role of muscle health in maintaining spinal stability and suggest that targeted rehabilitation strategies addressing paraspinal muscle alterations may improve clinical outcomes in patients with LS.
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Registered trials
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