Issue release date: 12.11.2024
2Department of Public Health, Dokuz Eylül University School of Medicine, İzmir, Turkey Objective: There has been much progress in spinal surgery over the past two decades. These advances have increased the quality and number of spine-related studies, and the number of papers presented at annual meetings of neurosurgical societies. The Spinal Surgery Section (SSS) of the Turkish Neurosurgical Society (TNS) was established in December 1995. The aim of this study was to compare the number of spine-related papers presented at TNS annual meetings before (1991 through 1995) and after (1996 through 2001) the SSS was established.
Materials and Methods: The number of neurosurgeons was strongly correlated with the number of spine related papers, and also with the number of papers on spinal instrumentation. However, after the control of these correlations for a year and total number of papers, the relation between the increase in the number of neurosurgeons and spinal papers, as well as the relation between the increase in the number of neurosurgeons and spinal instrumentation related papers decreased.
Results: After the SSS was established, there were significantly higher numbers of presented papers concerning spinal tumor, degenerative spinal disease, spinal instrumentation, and spinal laboratory studies (p=0.017, p=0.011, p=0.044, and p=0.027, respectively). In contrast, the numbers of presented papers related to spinal trauma and spinal infection (p=0.067 and p=0.099, respectively) did not change significantly. The number of neurosurgeons was strongly correlated with the number of spine related papers, and also with the number of papers on spinal instrumentation. However, after the control of these correlations for a year and total number of papers, the relation between the increase in the number of neurosurgeons and spinal papers, as well as the relation between the increase in the number of neurosurgeons and spinal instrumentation related papers decreased.
Conclusion: The larger number of neurosurgeons registered in the TNS is the main reason for the observed rise in the overall numbers of neurosurgical papers. However, the strong correlation between the increase in the number of neurosurgeons and spinal papers, as well as the correlation between the increase in the number of neurosurgeons and spinal instrumentation related papers weaken after elimination of the total number of papers. This suggests that other factors contributed to the increase in the number of these papers. Establishment of the SSS within the TNS seems to have had an important impact on the number and quality of spinal procedures in Turkey.
Keywords : Congress, spinal surgery, spine surgery section, subdividing, Turkish neurosurgical society