Sep 28 – Oct 4, 2026 · 23 new studies, 10 reviews · Spine archive · All weeks
The new Spine research The Reduction sent the week of Sep 28 – Oct 4, 2026, with the week’s most recent reviews, each with a one-line summary.
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After degenerative cervical myelopathy surgery, mental health recovery falls into four distinct trajectories, with only a minority improving substantially, and trajectory membership strongly predicted 12-month patient satisfaction.
In retroperitoneal sarcoma patients, sarcopenia (lowest-quartile psoas index) was linked to longer hospital stays after resection, though not more complications, suggesting preoperative psoas measurement could guide prehabilitation or tailored ERAS pathways.
In 13 patients and 42 screws, fully percutaneous navigation-assisted cervical pedicle screw fixation looked feasible: 86% of screws were Bredow Grades 1-2, one screw needed revision, and no new neurologic deficits or vertebral artery injuries occurred.
In this RCT, template-guided cortical bone trajectory screws matched traditional pedicle screws in clinical outcomes, offering less radiation and muscle atrophy but more endplate perforations and longer instrumentation time.
Three patients developed acute severe hypertension, tachycardia, and altered consciousness after endoscopic spine surgery under general anesthesia; early recognition and supportive management led to full recovery within hours.
Effect Modifiers of the Association Between Physical Activities and Subsequent Low Back Pain Flares.
In a year-long case-crossover study of 416 adults, concurrent actions like twisting, bending, heavier lifting, and vibration raised activity-related low back pain flare risk, while work-relatedness and analgesic use did not modify it.
In 5,206 AIS fusions, IONM alerts occurred in 5%, driven mainly by larger major Cobb angle; permanent neurologic injury was under 1%, and alerts did not compromise 2-year curve correction.
In 26 patients who completed growing rod treatment, myelomeningocele patients had far more wound complications, reoperations, and severe complications than other neuromuscular early-onset scoliosis patients, supporting separate classification for risk stratification.
This meta-analysis of 12 RCTs shows locoregional anesthesia modestly reduces postoperative pain, analgesic use, and nausea/vomiting compared with general anesthesia in spine surgery.
In a small retrospective AIS series, radiation-free 3D trunk surface scanning correlated with signed Cobb angle change after Rigo-Chêneau bracing, suggesting it may complement radiographs for monitoring brace effect.
US spinal cord injury incidence rose slightly while prevalence and disability fell from 1990-2023, but regional, sex, and cervical-injury disparities persist, highlighting need for targeted prevention.
In a propensity-matched cohort of 172 patients, continuing low-dose aspirin through minimally invasive anterior-to-psoas lumbar fusion did not increase blood loss, transfusion, hematoma, or length of stay.
Unilateral Biportal Endoscopic Cervical Foraminotomy: Initial Clinical Experience and Outcomes.
In the first 17 patients, unilateral biportal endoscopic cervical foraminotomy had short operative times, mostly same-day discharge, and early PROM improvement (significant for pain interference), suggesting feasibility pending larger comparative studies.
In 1,000 chronic low back pain patients followed up to 10 years, medical cannabis was associated with large drops in opioid use and pain, but this uncontrolled study's effect sizes likely reflect bias and need randomized trials.
In 1,197 adults, vertebropelvic angles increased on sitting, most in the lower thoracic and upper lumbar spine, with smaller changes in older and higher-BMI patients, marking the thoracolumbar junction as the key postural transition.
Patterns of Surgical Conversion in Spinal Epidural Abscess: Timing and Clinical characteristics.
In an 11-institution spinal epidural abscess cohort, about 25% of initially nonoperative patients needed surgery, often after delays, and cervical involvement predicted failure of medical management.
In smokers, ACDR loses its usual advantages over ACDF in reoperation, subsidence, and physical health outcomes, so smoking status should guide the choice between these procedures.
In 70 work-related A1 thoracolumbar compression fractures, vertebroplasty was linked to much shorter sick leave (median 62 days) than bracing (144.5) or arthrodesis (178), though non-randomized allocation limits causal conclusions.
Imaging features of hemimetameric shift in children: proposal of a new classification.
A new four-type classification of hemimetameric shift in 85 children proved reliable (kappa 0.796), with higher types showing more thoracolumbar kyphosis and associated anomalies, supporting individualized treatment.
A finite element model showed scoliosis severity worsens thoracolumbar mechanics, with apical vertebral peak stress 2.1 times normal in severe curves and asymmetric disc strain, supporting a mechanical basis for curve progression.
A 10-year cohort study finds discontinuous thoracolumbar fractures cluster at the thoracolumbar junction with distinct AO morphology patterns, and nearly half of secondary fractures are initially missed, supporting thorough whole-spine imaging after high-energy trauma.
In 6,084 ACDF/CDR cases, hematoma needing evacuation occurred in 0.41%, independently predicted by male sex and four or more levels; ENT approach didn't matter, but Penrose drains carried higher risk than closed-suction or no drain.
Adding a cross-link in single-level lumbar interbody fusion did not improve fusion rates, alignment, or clinical outcomes, suggesting selective rather than routine use.
Impact of Obesity, Sarcopenia, and Nutritional Status on Spine Surgery Patients.
This review explains how central obesity, sarcopenia, and nutritional deficiencies raise complication and nonunion risk in spine surgery and outlines a framework for preoperative optimization, including GLP-1 agonists.
Is neck pain treatable with surgery?
Literature review and expert opinion on whether isolated neck pain is surgically treatable, covering its causes, the difficulty of pinpointing the pain source, and diagnostic pearls to avoid mistreatment.
Analgesic options for anterior approach to scoliosis repair: a scoping review.
This scoping review finds continuous epidural analgesia is the best-studied option for anterior scoliosis repair pain control, though newer regional techniques may offer viable alternatives needing further study.
The Environmental Impact of Spine Surgery and the Path to Sustainability.
Narrative review finds spine surgery has a growing environmental footprint, with procurement the largest emissions source, and recommends minimizing item use, reducing waste, recycling, and spine-specific carbon research.
Spine Surgery and Ankylosing Spondylitis: Optimizing Perioperative Management.
This review outlines perioperative management of ankylosing spondylitis patients undergoing spine surgery, covering timing of antirheumatic drugs, bone quality assessment, airway and organ evaluation, neuromonitoring, and early mobilization and pain control to reduce complications.
Evaluating prehospital care of patients with potential traumatic spinal cord injury: scoping review.
This scoping review of 42 studies found no consensus on spinal immobilization for suspected traumatic spinal cord injury, with controlled self-extrication favored for hemodynamically stable patients and a call for larger prospective prehospital studies.
Damage Control Orthopaedics in Spinal Trauma.
Reviews damage control orthopaedics and early appropriate care concepts for spinal trauma, addressing timing, minimally invasive versus open fixation, and prioritization amid polytrauma.
Perioperative blood conservation strategies for pediatric scoliosis surgery.
This narrative review outlines interdisciplinary pre-, intra-, and postoperative blood conservation strategies for pediatric scoliosis surgery, which may reduce or eliminate the need for allogeneic transfusion.
Describes knowledge gaps and barriers to using gait and balance analysis as functional outcome measures in spine surgery, and presents a summary-report method illustrated with an adult deformity patient's pre- and postoperative data.
Anterior Approach to the Subaxial Cervical Spine: Pearls and Pitfalls.
This review outlines key anatomic pearls and pitfalls for safely performing the Smith-Robinson anterior approach to the subaxial cervical spine across various pathologies.
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