Surgical Results of Patients with Myelopathy due to Ossification of the Ligamentum Flavum with Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament or a Vertebral Fracture at the Same Level of the Thoracic Spine: A Retrospective Comparative Study

Abnormal ossification of spinal ligaments is a well-known cause of myelopathy in East Asian populations, with ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF) and the posterior longitudinal ligament being the most prevalent. In Caucasian populations, OLF is rare, and there has been only 1 documented case of the disease affecting more than 5 spinal levels. In this report, the authors describe the clinical presentation, imaging characteristics, and management of the second published case of a Caucasian man with OLF affecting almost the entire thoracic spine. The literature is then reviewed with regard to OLF epidemiology, pathogenesis, presentation, and treatment.

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Indirect posterior decompression with corrective fusion for ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the thoracic spine: is it possible to predict the surgical results?

European Spine Journal ◽

10.1007/s00586-009-0956-2 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 18 (7) ◽

pp. 943-948 ◽

Cited By ~ 49

Author(s):

Yukihiro Matsuyama ◽

Yoshihito Sakai ◽

Yoshito Katayama ◽

Shiro Imagama ◽

Zenya Ito ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thoracic Spine ◽

Posterior Longitudinal Ligament ◽

Surgical Results ◽

Posterior Decompression

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Concurrent Ossification of Posterior Longitudinal Ligament and Ossification of Ligamentum Flavum in the Thoracic Spine Demonstrated by SPECT/CT Imaging

Clinical Nuclear Medicine ◽

10.1097/rlu.0000000000000689 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 40 (3) ◽

pp. 228-230 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Hongyan Yin ◽

Hongcheng Shi

Keyword(s):

Thoracic Spine ◽

Ligamentum Flavum ◽

Posterior Longitudinal Ligament ◽

Ct Imaging ◽

Ossification Of Ligamentum Flavum

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Aggravation of Ossified Ligamentum Flavum Lesion Is Associated With the Degree of Obesity

Global Spine Journal ◽

10.1177/21925682211031514 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 219256822110315

Author(s):

Tsutomu Endo ◽

Yoshinao Koike ◽

Yuichiro Hisada ◽

Ryo Fujita ◽

Ryota Suzuki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thoracic Spine ◽

Ligamentum Flavum ◽

Posterior Longitudinal Ligament ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Control Group ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Risk Of Progression ◽

Severely Obese ◽

Prevalence Of Obesity ◽

Obese Subjects

Study Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study. Objectives: There is insufficient data on the clinical features of ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF) of the thoracic spine and the risk of progression of ossified lesions. The link between obesity and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL), which frequently coexists with OLF, has been demonstrated. However, the link between obesity and OLF has not been recognized. We aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity in thoracic OLF and whether the severity of OLF is associated with the degree of obesity. Methods: A total of 204 symptomatic Japanese subjects with thoracic OLF and 136 subjects without spinal ligament ossification as controls were included. OLF subjects were divided into 3 groups: 1) localized OLF (OLF <2-intervertebral regions); 2) multilevel OLF (OLF ≥3-intervertebral regions); and 3) OLF + OPLL. The severity of OLF was quantified using the OLF index using computed tomography imaging of the entire spine. Results: The proportion of severely obese subjects (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) was significantly higher both in the multilevel OLF group (25.5%) and the OLF + OPLL group (44.3%) than in the localized OLF group (3.6%) and the control group (1.4%) ( P < 0.01). BMI, age, and coexistence of cervical OPLL and lumbar OLF were associated with thoracic OLF index in the multiple regression analysis. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that obesity is a distinct feature of multilevel OLF in the thoracic spine and that the severity of OLF is associated with the degree of obesity.

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