Sep 7–13, 2026 · 22 new studies, 10 reviews · Spine archive · All weeks
The new Spine research The Reduction sent the week of Sep 7–13, 2026, with the week’s most recent reviews, each with a one-line summary.
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The Association of Long-Term Cardiac Issues for Adult Patients With Versus Without Scoliosis.
Large database study shows adults with idiopathic, neuromuscular, or congenital scoliosis have significantly higher odds of various cardiac comorbidities, supporting closer cardiac follow-up.
Zurich's new six-module, ECTS-credited certificate program formally structures endoscopic spine surgery training to close the gap between rapid technique adoption and inadequate credentialing.
In adolescent spondylolysis repair, pedicle screw fixation alone fused faster but left less post-removal segmental motion than screw-rod-hook constructs, though pain/function outcomes were similar.
Analysis of over 500,000 UK Biobank participants found obesity, driving to work, active jobs, low income, poor sleep, anxiety/depression, and opioid use were associated with low back pain, supporting a whole-person treatment approach.
A Prospective Comparative Study of UBE-ULBD Versus Endo-ULBD for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis.
This RCT of 110 patients found biportal (UBE-ULBD) and single-port endoscopic (Endo-ULBD) decompression for lumbar stenosis yielded comparable clinical and radiological outcomes at 12 months, differing only in operative time and hospital stay.
Among 179 hip-spine syndrome patients, those undergoing hip and spine surgery within one year of each other showed greater ODI improvement than those with longer intervals, suggesting benefit to shorter surgical spacing.
Multicenter study found dysphagia is common after anterior cervical surgery (highest with corpectomy, lowest with disc arthroplasty), with baseline dysphagia, comorbidities, and female sex predicting persistence at 1 year.
In symmetrically aligned bilateral TKA patients, coronal spinal imbalance strongly predicted which knee patients preferred, despite similar overall clinical improvement between groups.
A medial pedicle wall referencing technique for extra-pedicular screws in narrow dysplastic thoracic pedicles in AIS surgery achieved shorter, less convergent trajectories with a low critical perforation rate.
In mild isthmic lumbar spondylolisthesis, minimally invasive and open fusion produced similar restoration of spinopelvic alignment and functional outcomes, with MIS-TLIF offering shorter hospital stay and faster recovery.
In a population-based cohort, greater MRI-detected fatty infiltration of the erector spinae and higher pelvic tilt independently predicted progression of sagittal spinal malalignment over 6 years, suggesting paraspinal muscle quality as a target for prevention.
The Scolioscoop V3 correlated excellently with the Bunnell Scoliometer when used by trained clinicians, but showed poor reliability for unsupervised home use by parents/caregivers.
In over 20,000 pediatric spinal fusion cases, cell saver use was not linked to increased overall morbidity, though high-volume use correlated with more neurological complications, likely reflecting bleeding severity rather than a direct effect.
In a propensity-matched study of over 56,000 pairs, GLP-1 receptor agonist use in osteoporotic women over 50 was linked to roughly half the risk of vertebral fracture and augmentation procedures.
Back in the game: analyzing performance outcomes following spinal surgery in WNBA athletes.
In this small case series of six WNBA players, spinal surgery (mostly for disc herniation) was followed by non-significant declines in playing time and efficiency, with older age worsening and greater height favoring postoperative performance.
Among 24,438 spine surgeries with 1,180 incidental durotomies, management failure (3.2%) was driven by prior radiotherapy, revision thoracic OPLL surgery, dural patch use, long-segment fusion, and higher body weight, highlighting high-risk scenarios needing more than primary repair.
Impact of Heterotopic Ossification on Range of Motion Following Cervical Disc Replacement.
In 146 CDR patients, higher-grade heterotopic ossification progressively reduced disc space motion (Grade 4 nearly eliminating it) while overall cervical ROM was preserved, suggesting compensatory motion transfer to adjacent levels.
Preoperative SSRI use was linked to higher rates of pseudoarthrosis and substantially greater postoperative opioid use after both anterior and posterior cervical fusion in this propensity-matched analysis.
In 1,440 middle-aged Finnish adults, MRI findings of nerve root compression (disc herniation, stenosis, spondylolisthesis) were common but mostly mild, questioning their clinical significance.
A novel deep-learning pipeline combining noise reduction, segmentation, and a hybrid IShuffleNet-PCNN classifier achieved 93% accuracy in detecting and classifying spinal cord injury-related fractures on CT, suggesting potential to aid automated diagnosis.
Postoperative T4-L1PA mismatch was the strongest and most durable predictor of 5-year mechanical revision (mainly proximal junctional failure) after multilevel fusion to the upper lumbar/lower thoracic spine, outperforming PI-LL mismatch over time.
Occipitocervical fusion in basilar invagination improved craniovertebral alignment, increased vertebral artery flow velocity, and correlated with better neck disability and dizziness scores.
Surgical Spine Techniques for Small-Statured Surgeons and Assistants.
Reviews ergonomic strategies—posture, tool selection, microbreaks, and conditioning—to reduce musculoskeletal strain for small-statured spine surgeons and assistants in the OR.
Carbon Fiber Implants in Spine Surgery.
This review highlights carbon fiber-reinforced PEEK spinal implants as offering imaging-artifact-free, biomechanically comparable alternatives to metal, particularly beneficial for post-separation-surgery radiation planning, pending long-term durability data.
This article reviews surgical techniques and outcomes for posterior full-endoscopic cervical foraminotomy and diskectomy.
Guidelines for returning to activity after spinal deformity surgery.
This SRS educational paper offers consensus guidelines for safely resuming activity after spinal deformity surgery across pediatric, adult, and athletic patient populations.
Atlantoaxial Osteoarthritis: An Overlooked Condition.
This review highlights atlantoaxial osteoarthritis as an underdiagnosed cause of occipitocervical pain and rotation limitation, best seen on open-mouth odontoid views, with two-thirds improving via conservative care and C1-C2 fusion reserved for refractory pain.
This 10-year literature review found intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring alert thresholds for scoliosis surgery vary widely, with roughly 50% amplitude loss (TcMEP) and 50% amplitude loss/10% latency increase (SSEP) most commonly accepted.
Plastic Surgery Closure of Complex Spinal Wounds.
This review discusses using plastic surgery techniques—multilayered and flap closures—to reduce wound complications in high-risk patients undergoing complex spine surgery.
This review outlines practical strategies—like patient-reported outcomes, immersive technology, and research databases—to help spine surgeons strengthen both clinical practice and research efforts.
A 70-year review of US legal claims for sports spinal injuries found negligent supervision and premises liability were the leading claims, with median awards near $780,000 and frequent catastrophic neurologic injury.
Regional Anesthesia for Spine Surgery.
This narrative review covers techniques, indications, and complications of spinal/epidural regional anesthesia enabling awake spinal fusion and outpatient spine surgery.
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