From clinical safety trials to cost-effectiveness measures, here are 10 spine studies to know since March 14.
1. Cervical disc replacement is a safe option across all obesity levels compared to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, according to a study in the April 2025 issue of The Spine Journal.
2. Having a higher socioeconomic status is associated with greater rates of surgical resource usage before spinal fusions, according to a study in the April 2025 issue of The Spine Journal.
3. Patients having two-level cervical disc replacement tended to have fewer postoperative complications compared to those having two-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, according to a study published in the April 15 edition of Spine.
4. Lumbar total disc replacement patients tended to have more facet injections following surgery compared to those having anterolateral lumbar interbody fusion, according to a study published in the April 2025 issue of the Global Spine Journal.
5. Aclarion’s augmented intelligence tool, Nociscan, is more cost effective compared to provocative discography, according to a new study. The study, published in Clinicoeconomics and Outcomes Research, assessed data from 139 chronic lower back pain patients. The mean total cost for patients using provocative discography diagnostics was $59,711 and $57,998 using Aclarion’s magnetic resonance spectroscopy (Nociscan), showing savings of $1,712 per patient.
6. While functional outcomes for spine surgery patients show little variation depending on the age of the operating surgeon, patient satisfaction may be higher among those treated by younger surgeons, according to a study published April 21 in JAMA Network Open.
7. Hybrid anterior cervical discectomy and fusion and cervical disc replacement is a growing option for multilevel cervical disc degenerative disease, and early fusion rates are stronger, according to a study in the June 2025 issue of The Spine Journal.
8. Reston, Va.-based VSI led a multicenter study validating its Enhanced Surgical Recovery program in spinal fusion patients. The study found patients in the ESR program used an average of eight fewer morphine-equivalent milligrams per day, had shorter hospital stays and fewer readmissions in the 30 days after surgery.
9. Multilevel fusions for patients having lumbar decompressions are associated with increased odds for postoperative adverse events, readmissions and reoperations, according to a study in the July 1 issue of Spine.
10. Cost-effectiveness for risk-stratified patients isn’t necessarily better than usual care for lower back pain in the military health system, according to a study in the July 15 issue of Spine.
