Latest research on lumbar disc herniation

13 papers · updated 2026-09-26 · Spine · All topics

The newest papers on lumbar disc herniation from the orthopaedic journals The Reduction reads, newest first, each with a one-line summary. The list is drawn from the digest’s archive and refreshed every week.

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Recent papers

  1. Patient-reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Score Analysis in Diagnosis and Treatment Evaluation of Pediatric Disc Herniation Patients: A Preliminary Study.

    Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics · Sep 18 2026 · PubMed

    PROMIS scores show pediatric disc herniation patients have significant pain and mobility impairment, with surgery yielding faster symptom relief despite worse baseline function versus non-operative care.

  2. Lumbar disc herniation with giant extruded or sequestered morphology: feasibility of a conservative-first strategy and the stratification value of contrast-enhanced MRI.

    European Spine Journal · Sep 16 2026 · PubMed

    In this 60-patient cohort, a conservative-first approach for giant extruded/sequestered lumbar disc herniation avoided surgery in 88% at 24 months, with rim enhancement on MRI showing potential (but not definitive) prognostic value.

  3. GLP-1 agonist use and lower rates of pseudarthrosis and dysphagia following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion surgery, with time-dependent effects.

    Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine · Aug 28 2026 · PubMed

    In this large database study, postoperative GLP-1 agonist use after ACDF was linked to lower rates of pseudarthrosis and dysphagia, suggesting timing-dependent benefits on fusion healing.

  4. Early Postoperative Increase in Procollagen Type 1 N-Propeptide (P1NP) Predicts One-Year Pseudarthrosis Following Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: A Prospective Cohort Study.

    Spine · Aug 25 2026 · PubMed

    A larger early postoperative rise in P1NP (a bone formation marker) independently predicted one-year pseudarthrosis after ACDF, suggesting a potential role for anabolic therapy trials in high-risk patients.

  5. Association Between Lumbar Muscle Function and Reoperation in Patients With Recurrent Lumbar Disc Herniation After Percutaneous Endoscopic Lumbar Discectomy.

    Clinical Spine Surgery · Aug 18 2026 · PubMed

    In a matched case-control study of 2603 PELD patients, smaller cross-sectional area and greater fatty infiltration of paraspinal muscles (psoas, multifidus, erector spinae) were associated with reoperation for recurrent disc herniation, suggesting preoperative muscle quality assessment could help predict recurrence risk.

  6. Identifying the presence of disc herniations in lumbar spine MRI using Gemini 3.1 Pro.

    European Spine Journal · Aug 12 2026 · PubMed

    Zero-shot testing of Gemini 3.1 Pro on lumbar MRI showed only modest, inconsistent accuracy for detecting disc herniation with a high false-positive rate, indicating it's not yet reliable for clinical screening.

  7. Dysphagia Risk After Single vs Multi-level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion in Octogenarians: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis.

    Spine · Aug 11 2026 · PubMed

    In octogenarians, multi-level ACDF carries higher early dysphagia risk than single-level, and advanced age itself increases early dysphagia versus younger patients, supporting proactive counseling and mitigation strategies.

  8. Surgical Risk and Patient-Reported Outcomes in 3- and 4-Level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: A Comparative Study.

    Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons · Aug 11 2026 · PubMed

    In 256 patients, 4-level ACDF had higher dysphagia and 30-day ED visit rates than 3-level ACDF but comparable readmissions, surgical outcomes, and PROM improvements, suggesting extending fusion to 4 levels isn't inherently riskier.

  9. National Trends in Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Among Medicare Beneficiaries: Declining Reimbursement, Shrinking Workforce, and Persistent Regional Disparities, 2013-2023.

    Spine · Jul 20 2026 · PubMed

    Medicare data from 2013-2023 show ACDF utilization, surgeon reimbursement, and provider numbers all declined substantially, with persistent regional disparities suggesting policy-driven reimbursement cuts rather than pandemic effects.

  10. Antipsychotic Medications are Associated with Higher Rates of Healthcare Utilization, Complications, Opioid Prescriptions, and Subsequent Cervical Surgery after Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion.

    Spine · Jun 22 2026 · PubMed

    Antipsychotic medications increase ACDF complications, healthcare utilization, opioid prescriptions, and subsequent cervical surgery.

  11. Full Endoscopic versus Microscopic Lumbar Discectomy for Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Meta-analysis of Randomized-controlled Trials.

    Spine · Jun 18 2026 · PubMed

    Full endoscopic lumbar discectomy offers comparable decompressive efficacy to microscopic discectomy with fewer wound complications and faster return to work, but increases radiation exposure.

  12. Fixed-Angle Static Versus Variable-Angle Dynamic Plates for Multilevel Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion.

    Clinical Spine Surgery · Apr 28 2026 · PubMed

    Fixed-angle static plates better maintain cervical lordosis after multilevel ACDF than dynamic plates, with similar fusion rates, functional outcomes, and complication profiles at short-term follow-up.

  13. Analysis of Spinal-Pelvic Sagittal Plane Parameters in Patients With Highly Upward-Migrated Lumbar Disc Herniation.

    Clinical Spine Surgery · Apr 27 2026 · PubMed

    Patients with highly upward-migrated lumbar disc herniation show distinct spinopelvic alignment (higher pelvic incidence and thoracic kyphosis), which may help identify this herniation subtype.

Landmark papers

  1. Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Associated Complications

    Spine · 2007 · cited 1,075 times · PubMed

    In 1015 ACDF patients, overall morbidity was 19.3%, with dysphagia, hematoma, and recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy being the most common complications and mortality only 0.1%.

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