Base and treatment of the thoracic myelopathy caused by ossification of ligamentum flavum / 中国矫形外科杂志

The thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum(OLF)is usually located in the lower thoracic spine.Thoracic OLF has been widely recognized as a main cause of thoracic myelopathy.The pathogenesis of OLF is poorly understood.Because the thoracic OLF has many clinical manifestations and it is commonly combined with other spinal disorders,it is easy to be misdiagnosed or to be a delayed diagnosis.The surgical treatment of thoracic OLF has high risk and Serious complications.In this paper the pathogenesis,diagnosis and treatment of thoracic ossification of ligamentum flavum in recent years are reviewed.