Ossification of the ligamentum flavum in the upper cervical spine: A report of two cases and literature review

He,Rui; Fang,Huang

doi:10.3892/etm.2020.8834

Ossification of the ligamentum flavum in the upper cervical spine: A report of two cases and literature review

Authors:
- Rui He
- Huang Fang
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Affiliations: Department of Orthopedics, The First Affiliated Hospital of the University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230001, P.R. China
Published online on: June 4, 2020 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2020.8834
Pages: 1734-1738
Copyright: © He et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF) is rarely observed in the cervical spine, particularly not in the upper cervical spine. The present report describes two cases of OLF combined with cervical myelopathy and provides a literature review with a comparative analysis of previous studies and the present cases. Pre‑operative CT, MRI and histological examination were performed to confirm the diagnosis of these patients (A 37‑year‑old female and 63‑year‑old male). In both cases, histological examination of surgical specimens revealed OLF. The symptoms of the two patients significantly improved after surgery and no recurrence was observed at 13 months after surgery. Furthermore, the clinical outcomes were satisfactory and the internal fixation was solid in the two cases. Review of the literature suggested that further research is required to reveal the optimal treatment methods for upper cervical OLF.

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