Neurospine.  2019 Sep;16(3):483-491. 10.14245/ns.1938286.143.

Does Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament Progress after Fusion?

• Vaziri S
• Lockney DT
• Dru AB
• Polifka AJ
• Fox WC
• Hoh DJ

• KMID: 2463567
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14245/ns.1938286.143

Abstract

Starting in the 1960s, ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) became more commonly diagnosed in Japan. The disease is characterized by a gradual increase in calcification of the posterior longitudinal ligament with the eventual sequelae of cervical canal stenosis and myelopathy. Surgical interventions to relieve stenosis and neurologic symptoms are performed to decompress the cervical canal. Studies demonstrate continued ossification of the OPLL in both nonsurgical and surgically treated patients. In this review, the authors evaluate the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and literature regarding disease progression in OPLL after cervical fusion.

Keyword

Ossification; Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament; Posterior longitudinal ligament; Cervical fusion; Laminoplasty

MeSH Terms

Constriction, Pathologic
Disease Progression
Epidemiology
Humans
Japan
Laminoplasty
Longitudinal Ligaments*
Neurologic Manifestations
Spinal Cord Diseases