Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41123604›Full record

ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2026

Development and internal validation of a prognostic scoring system for Conservative treatment outcomes in idiopathic neck extensor Myopathy-Dropped head syndrome.

Takayuki Kobayashi, Kenji Endo, Yasunobu Sawaji, Hirosuke Nishimura, Hidekazu Suzuki, Takato Aihara, Hideya Yamauchi, Kyohei Nagayama, Taro Uehara, Tomoyuki Ueshima and 2 more

Abstract readValidation Study
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Article in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Takayuki KobayashiDepartment of orthopedic surgery, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan. d121018@tokyo-med.ac.jp.
Kenji EndoDepartment of orthopedic surgery, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
Yasunobu SawajiDepartment of orthopedic surgery, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
Hirosuke NishimuraDepartment of orthopedic surgery, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
Hidekazu SuzukiDepartment of orthopedic surgery, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
Takato AiharaDepartment of orthopedic surgery, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
Hideya YamauchiDepartment of orthopedic surgery, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
Kyohei NagayamaDepartment of orthopedic surgery, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
Taro UeharaDepartment of orthopedic surgery, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
Tomoyuki UeshimaDepartment of orthopedic surgery, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
Shota KuniyoshiDepartment of orthopedic surgery, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.
Kengo YamamotoDepartment of orthopedic surgery, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposePrognostic factors for conservative treatment of dropped head syndrome (DHS) remain unclear. The objectives of this study were to identify prognostic factors for conservative treatment outcomes in patients with isolated neck extensor myopathy-related dropped head syndrome (INEM-DHS) and to develop a prognostic scoring system to support clinical treatment decision-making.

methodsOne hundred consecutive INEM-DHS patients who visited our hospital and could be followed for six months of conservative treatment were included. Patients were classified into two groups: the improved group (I group) and the non-improved group (N group) based on conservative treatment outcomes. Improvement rates and demographic, clinical, and radiographic parameters were compared between the groups using univariate and multivariate analysis, and a scoring system was developed.

resultsMultivariate analysis identified three independent prognostic factors: duration of symptoms (odds ratio [OR] = 4.78, 95% CI: 2.01–11.39), cervical kyphosis (OR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.20–0.76), and pelvic tilt (OR = 2.99, 95% CI, 1.57–5.69) were factors associated with prognosis. The developed scoring system demonstrated good performance, having an AUC of 0.835. Based on total scores, the patients were stratified into low-risk, intermediate-risk, and high-risk groups. Their respective improvement rates were 81.7%, 37.6%, and 18.4%,.

conclusionsConservative treatment prognosis in INEM-DHS patients can be predicted based on duration of symptoms, cervical kyphosis, and pelvic tilt. The scoring system developed using these three factors demonstrated potential clinical utility for prognostic prediction and treatment decision-making.

Indexed as

Conservative TreatmentDropped Head SyndromeNeck MusclesAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPrognosisTreatment OutcomeConservative treatmentDropped head syndromePrognostic factorRisk stratification

Identifiers

PMID41123604

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.