Aug 31 – Sep 6, 2026 · 24 new studies, 10 reviews · Spine archive · All weeks
The new Spine research The Reduction sent the week of Aug 31 – Sep 6, 2026, with the week’s most recent reviews, each with a one-line summary.
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In a 36-month randomized trial, cryoneurolysis and endoscopic facet denervation produced similarly sustained pain and disability improvements for chronic lumbar facet joint pain, with no significant difference between them.
When is Vertebral Body Tethering in a Patient With an Open Triradiate Cartilage a Good Idea?
In 115 patients with open triradiate cartilage undergoing thoracic vertebral body tethering, only 56% achieved successful curve correction, with undercorrection linked to larger initial/first-erect curves and overcorrection linked to smaller preoperative curves, helping refine patient selection.
In 88 AIS patients, 3D ultrasound measurement of the plane of maximum curvature was reliable, with the endplate-apex-endplate method recommended for radiation-free assessment of moderate-to-severe curves.
A retrospective study found all-pedicle screw selective thoracic fusion in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis achieved durable curve correction and clinical improvement at over 5 years, with low complication rates.
Systematic review of 12 studies (5015 patients) finds machine learning applied to surface topography can estimate scoliosis curve severity with accuracy approaching radiographs, though curve-type classification remains less reliable.
What Is the 5-year Survival of Patients With or Without Surgery in Spinal Metastatic Disease?
In a large registry, only about 9% of spinal metastasis patients survived 5 years, with SORG and NESMS scores remaining strong predictors of long-term survival to guide surgical decision-making.
A 10-year Thai national cohort of over 16,000 spinal metastasis surgeries found rising surgical volume and comorbidity burden, with a 12.8% complication rate and 4.2% in-hospital mortality.
In 383 patients with fractures in autofused AS/DISH spines, older age, lower BMI, and frailty—not treatment type (surgery vs orthosis)—independently predicted the high observed mortality.
External validation of four prediction models for prolonged length of stay after lumbar interbody fusion showed only moderate accuracy and poor precision, so none are reliable enough for standalone discharge planning without local recalibration.
In a Finnish registry of lumbar stenosis surgery, complications occurred in 16.8% of patients and were linked to older age, higher ASA grade, and multilevel/fusion surgery, substantially raising reoperation risk (especially with hematoma or infection).
Reoperation in Long Lumbar Constructs with and Without Iliac Fixation: A Registry Study.
In a large registry of long lumbosacral fusions, iliac fixation lowered long-term reoperation risk, mainly by reducing nonunion-related revisions, without affecting adjacent segment disease rates.
In cervical OPLL patients undergoing posterior decompression, those with prior trauma had worse pre/postoperative mJOA scores and far lower rates of significant neurological recovery (12% vs 80%).
International surgeon survey used to build a scoring algorithm (UC-AOSIS) that defines operative thresholds for upper cervical spine injuries based on AO Spine classification.
A nomogram using WBC, albumin, craniocerebral injury, assisted respiration, and injury level accurately predicted hyponatremia risk after cervical spinal cord injury (AUC ~0.79-0.88 across validation cohorts).
In 153 patients undergoing biportal endoscopic lumbar surgery, sarcopenia did not worsen clinical outcomes or complication rates, though sarcopenic fusion patients had longer hospital stays (15.0 vs 11.9 days).
In 155 AIS patients treated with a posterior dynamic distracting device, convergent caudal screw angulation—not screw depth or diameter—predicted mechanical failure and revision, especially in Lenke type 5 curves.
In Scheuermann's kyphosis surgery, achieving near-neutral PI-LL mismatch best predicts functional improvement while greater thoracic kyphosis correction best predicts pain relief, favoring individualized rather than universal alignment goals.
Adding TLIF to posterior instrumentation for short-segment lumbar stenosis improves radiologic fusion but not functional outcomes, while increasing operative time and transfusion needs versus decompression alone.
In degenerative lumbar scoliosis, bilateral severe hip osteoarthritis is linked to pelvic decompensation and worse baseline and 2-year postoperative pain/function outcomes, emphasizing preoperative hip OA assessment.
In eight cadavers, robotic-assisted sacropelvic screw placement guided by radiation-free 3D MRI achieved 95.8% Grade A accuracy, suggesting a feasible alternative to fluoroscopy/CT navigation.
Medicare data from 2013-2023 show declining lumbar laminectomy utilization and inflation-adjusted reimbursement, fewer performing surgeons, persistent geographic utilization disparities, and a growing orthopaedic surgeon share of these procedures.
Changes in spinal alignment after implant removal in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.
In a retrospective study of 25 AIS patients, implant removal after posterior spinal fusion caused mild coronal deterioration and progressive thoracic kyphosis (worse with earlier removal), while lumbar and pelvic parameters stayed stable.
Brain morphometric alterations associated with degenerative scoliosis: a structural MRI study.
MRI showed degenerative scoliosis patients have distinct brain changes (ventricular enlargement, thalamic/cerebellar atrophy), suggesting a central nervous system component to the disease, though findings need external validation.
In over 20,000 patients, sacroiliac joint radiofrequency ablation was performed more often and with lower downstream healthcare utilization (PT, ED visits, CT scans, opioids) than surgical SI fusion, though fusion volumes are rising faster.
Interbody Cages: Surface Technologies in Spinal Implants.
This review of spinal interbody cage surface technologies concludes that while surface modifications like roughening and hydroxyapatite coatings improve osseointegration, no single material or coating has proven consistently superior clinically.
Diagnosis and Management of Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures.
This review outlines diagnosis and management of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures, favoring conservative care first-line and noting kyphoplasty's advantage over vertebroplasty for reducing kyphosis and adjacent fractures.
Cervical Angina: An Often Overlooked Cause of Noncardiac Chest Pain.
This review highlights cervical angina, caused by C6-C7 radiculopathy, as an underrecognized mimic of cardiac chest pain that requires careful history and exam to diagnose and can be managed operatively or nonoperatively.
Current Concepts of Sagittal Alignment in Adult Thoracolumbar Spinal Deformity.
This review updates current principles and evolving philosophies on sagittal spinopelvic alignment for planning adult thoracolumbar spinal deformity correction.
Enabling technology in adult spinal deformity.
This review surveys enabling technologies—planning software, machine learning, 3D printing, AR/VR, patient-specific instrumentation, and robotics/navigation—for improving safety and training in adult spinal deformity surgery.
This WFNS consensus review updates diagnosis, classification, and natural history of Chiari malformation, supporting conservative management for asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients.
The Impact of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis on Pregnancy.
This review notes pregnancy-related spinal biomechanical changes can increase low back pain risk after AIS fusion to L3 or below, though curve progression risk remains low and epidural placement may be more difficult.
Augmented reality in spine surgery - past, present, and future.
This narrative review traces the history and current evidence for augmented reality in spine surgery and discusses its future potential for navigation, visualization, and surgical training.
This scoping review found only six MRI grading systems for lumbar facet joint inflammation, with generally good but variable interreader reliability, highlighting the need for a standardized system.
Symptomatic Postoperative Epidural Hematoma in the Lumbar Spine.
This review highlights that symptomatic postoperative lumbar epidural hematoma requires prompt MRI or urgent re-exploration and emergent evacuation, as delayed treatment worsens neurological outcomes.
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