Translaminar Screw Fixation of the Lumbar Spine
Bibliographic record
Abstract
STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective clinical cohort study. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the long-term results after translaminar screw fixation of the lumbar spine in a large group of patients and to identify predictors of a good outcome. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Translaminar screw fixation represents an alternative operative technique to transpedicular fixation systems for short-segment lumbar fusion. The strategy behind this technique is to block the facet joints with perforating screws. Although the method has been in use for more than 20 years, few studies reporting the long-term outcome in large groups of patients are to be found in the literature. METHODS: The Core Outcome Measures Index, a multidimensional outcome questionnaire, was sent to 643 consecutive patients who had undergone lumbar fusion with translaminar screws between 1987 and 2004, for various degenerative conditions of the lumbar spine. Patients also rated the global outcome and their satisfaction with treatment. Disc height was measured from preoperative radiographs using the distortion compensated roentgen analysis method. 476 patients (74%) completed and returned the questionnaire. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with a good outcome. RESULTS: After an average follow-up period of 10 years (range: 2-20 years) 352 of 476 patients (74%) reported that the operation had either "helped a lot" or "helped" (good outcome); 124 of 476 patients (26%) declared that it "helped only little," "didn't help," or "made things worse" (poor outcome). Controlling for potential confounders, a preoperative disc height <80% of that reported for a normal population was the most significant unique predictor of a good outcome (OR = 14.86, 95% CI: 6.77-32.61, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Translaminar screw fixation is a straightforward and effective technique for short-segment fusion in the lumbar spine. For patients with a strict indication for spondylodesis, intact posterior elements (lamina and facets) and a low preoperative disc height, translaminar screw fixation represents a successful fixation technique in the lumbar spine with good long-term results.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.001 | 0.002 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Open science | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Research integrity | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.003 | 0.001 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".