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Clinical characteristics of patients with thoracic myelopathy caused by ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament

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Abstract

Although ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) commonly develops in the cervical spine, it also occurs, albeit less commonly, in the thoracic spine. However, data are scarce regarding the characteristics of patients with thoracic OPLL. In the current study, we performed a cross-sectional study on a total of 133 patients with OPLL to clarify the clinical characteristics of patients with thoracic OPLL compared with those of patients with cervical OPLL. The subjects were divided into four groups according to the main region of OPLL and treatment type: C-OPLL-C, cervical OPLL treated conservatively; C-OPLL-S, cervical OPLL treated via surgery; T-OPLL-C, thoracic OPLL treated conservatively; and T-OPLL-S, thoracic OPLL treated via surgery. Symptoms developed at an earlier age in the T-OPLL-S group than in the C-OPLL groups. Current body mass index (BMI), maximum lifetime BMI, and BMI at the age of 20 years were significantly higher in the T-OPLL-S group than in the C-OPLL groups. Yearly weight gain from the age of 20 years to the age at which maximum body weight was attained was significantly greater in the T-OPLL-S group than in the C-OPLL groups. The T-OPLL group showed a higher rate of co-existence of OPLL at other regions or ossification of the ligamentum flavum compared to the C-OPLL groups. Our findings demonstrate that severe obesity, early-onset of symptoms, and diffuse ossification of spinal ligaments are distinct features of patients with myelopathy caused by thoracic OPLL.

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Acknowledgement

The authors thank the patients with OPLL from Hokkaido prefecture of Japan for participating in the research. No funding or grant support was received for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Kita-15 Nishi-7, Kita-ku, Sapporo, 060-8638, Japan

    Tsutomu Endo, Masahiko Takahata, Yoshinao Koike & Norimasa Iwasaki

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  1. Tsutomu Endo
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  2. Masahiko Takahata
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  3. Yoshinao Koike
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  4. Norimasa Iwasaki
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Contributions

TE: acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of data and drafting of the paper. MT: research design, acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of data and drafting of the paper. YK: acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of data. NI: interpretation of data.

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Correspondence to Masahiko Takahata.

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All authors have no conflicts of interest.

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Endo, T., Takahata, M., Koike, Y. et al. Clinical characteristics of patients with thoracic myelopathy caused by ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament. J Bone Miner Metab 38, 63–69 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00774-019-01026-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00774-019-01026-8

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