Late Occurrence of Cervicothoracic Ossification of Posterior Longitudinal Ligaments in a Surgically Treated Thoracic OPLL Patient

ABSTRACT

Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) in the thoracic spine is rare, even in the Far East. A 45-year-old female presented with a 4-month history of progressive motor weakness in the lower extremities, numbness below the midthoracic area, and spastic gait disturbance. Neuroradiological examinations revealed massive OPLLs at the T4-T6 levels with severe anterior compression of the spinal cord. Anterior decompressive corpectomies with bone grafts were performed from T4 to T6 using a trans-thoracic approach. After surgery, the patient made an uneventful recovery. However, eleven years after surgery, the patient developed recurrent lower extremity weakness and spastic gait disturbance. De novo OPLLs at the C6-T2 levels were responsible for the severe spinal cord compression on this occasion. After second surgery, paralysis in both legs was resolved. We present a rare case of late cervicothoracic OPLL in a patient surgically treated for thoracic OPLL.