Leveraging data to transform surgical outcomes and precision in orthopaedics.

In the era of evidence-based clinical practice, large data sources, including national registries, electronic health records, imaging studies, and well documented patient-related outcomes, play a crucial role. Especially in orthopaedic surgery, the use of data-driven methods can contribute to more informed decision-making, improved clinical outcomes, and surgical precision. Tools like machine learning and predictive models can analyze this complex dataset and assist in selecting patients for appropriate treatment, identifying risk factors, and personalizing treatment strategies.

Lumbar disc herniation modelling: a review of ex-vivo mechanical models and a comparison with clinical data.

Purpose: Ex-vivo herniation models are essential for studying lumbar disc herniation mechanisms, but their morphological accuracy remains unclear due to limited validation against patient-derived clinical data. This review collates clinical lumbar disc herniation characteristics and evaluates whether existing models replicate real-world pathology. By identifying the most morphologically relevant models, this study provides a stronger foundation for improving mechanistic herniation models.

ISSLS Prize in Clinical Science 2025: Cartilage End Plate Defects Precede and Initiate Bony End Plate Defects and Disc Degeneration- An 'Integrated Total End Plate Score' Identify Preclinical Discs at Risk for Degeneration.

Purpose: We utilized the Fast Low Angle Shot (FLASH) sequence to document the sequential changes in cartilaginous (CEP) and bony end plate (BEP) to study the influence on disc degeneration (DD).

Methods: Routine MRI and FLASH sequences were used in 500 lumbar discs in 100 each of healthy volunteers (HV), low back pain patients treated conservatively (CG) and surgically (SG) to document CEP and BEP status, Pfirrmann Grade (PG) and various MRI parameters.

Results: The three groups were identical demographically but had a significantly different number of healthy discs (p < 0.