How we made the decision

Exceptionally, significant new evidence may mean an update of a guideline is agreed before the next scheduled check of the need for an update. The evidence might be a single piece of evidence, an accumulation of evidence or other published NICE guidance.

For details of the process and update decisions that are available, see ensuring that published guidelines are current and accurate in developing NICE guidelines: the manual.

Evidence

This exceptional review provides an overview of evidence relating to the use of spinal fusion for low back pain or sciatica published since the end of the search period for the guideline (December 2015). New evidence was considered in detail alongside topic expert feedback on the intervention to determine if there is an impact on the guideline.

Views of topic experts

We engaged with topic experts who were also members of the guideline committee involved in the development of NICE guideline NG59.

Views of stakeholders

Because this was an exceptional surveillance review we did not consult on the decision.

NICE Surveillance programme project team

Kay Nolan
Associate Director

Janusz Jankowski
Consultant Clinical Adviser

Emma McFarlane
Technical Adviser

Omar Moreea
Technical Analyst

The NICE project team would like to thank the topic experts who participated in the surveillance process.

ISBN: 978-1-4731-3101-9


This page was last updated: