Body position changed organ locations in spine imaging studies
Moving from side-lying to face-down shifted organs backward on average; separate pooled vessel, muscle, nerve and spinal-curvature estimates were inconclusive.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
This abstract-based review found a backward shift of organs at the back of the abdomen when adults moved from side-lying to face-down. Pooled estimates for major vessels, the psoas muscle and nearby nerves, and segmental spinal curvature were not statistically significant. These anatomical results do not show that a position prevents surgical complications.
Studies varied substantially, and some had serious or critical risks of bias. The conclusion describes increased spinal curvature despite a nonsignificant pooled curvature estimate; the abstract alone cannot reconcile this discrepancy.
What researchers found
Backward shift of organs at the back of the abdomen
Side-lying to face-down imaging; measurement interval was not reported. The confidence interval expresses uncertainty around the pooled estimate.
What else changed
A separate face-up to face-down comparison found a statistically significant result combining displacement and curvature. That combined result differs from the separately reported, nonsignificant pooled estimates for vessels, muscle and nerves, and curvature.
Why individual anatomy matters
The authors describe vessel and psoas positions as highly individual. An average shift across studies cannot specify where those structures will lie in a particular patient, even when the pooled direction appears consistent.
The original publication
Influence of prone, supine, and lateral positions during spine surgery on vascular, abdominal, and postural anatomy: a comprehensive review and Bayesian meta-analysis.
Smajic S, Konieczny M, Kabir K et al.
Eur J Med Res · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41057945
- Record checked
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