From findings on prior authorization delays in spine patients to new insights on pediatric spine care, here are seven key studies to know so far in 2026.
1. Carlsmed’s aprevo implant for lumbar spine surgery had reduced complication-related reoperations compared to conventional stock devices, according to two-year data.
2. Three-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion saw stronger outcomes when supplemented with a circumferential cervical fusion using an investigational posterior cervical stabilization system, a study in Spine found.
3. Over five years, subsequent reoperation rates for single-level lumbar discectomy reached 14.4%, according to a study published in Spine.
4. Endoscopic spine surgery has been growing steadily in the U.S., but a barrier to surgeon adoption is its learning curve. A systematic review published in the March 2026 issue of The Spine Journal examined the learning curves for uniportal and biportal endoscopic spine techniques and found some differences between the two.
5. Medicare’s spinal-deformity-specific diagnosis-related group distribution has some limitations when it comes to understanding the nuances of surgeries, according to a study in the March 1 edition of Spine.
6. Prior authorizations for adult degenerative spine disease patients led to delays in care without improving costs, according to a study from the OrthoCarolina Research Institute team.
7. Ninety-five percent of adolescent athletes with lumbar spine stress fractures recovered without surgery, according to research from New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery.
