Thoracic Myelopathy Caused by Multiple Ossified Ligamentum flavum Combined with Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament

ABSTRACT

The authors report a case of thoracic myelopathy caused by multiple ossification of the ligamentum flavum(OLF) combined with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament(OPLL). A 52-year-old man had progressive motor weakness and numbness in the lower extremities. Diagnosis was made from the MR imaging that provided useful information about the multiple lesions in the lower cervical and upper thoracic area and about the degree of spinal cord compression. The surgical approach consisted of two stages Posterior decompression for OLF(first stage) and anterior decompression for OPLL, followed by interbody fusion(second stage). The patient had satisfactory improvement after surgical intervention.