Ossification of the yellow ligament in the cervical spine – an unusual location
Ossification of the yellow ligament (OYL) or ligamentum flavum, usually occurs in the thoracic spine. Focal OYL occurring in the cervical spine is considered rare and is sparsely reported in the literature. We came across a 30-year-old male patient with progressive left upper limb and bilateral lowe...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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China Medical University
2019-06-01
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| Series: | BioMedicine |
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| Online Access: | https://biomedicine.edp-open.org/articles/bmdcn/full_html/2019/02/bmdcn2019090214/bmdcn2019090214.html |
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| author | Oh Jacob Yoong-Leong Wang Victor Tzong-Jing Teo Timothy Wei Wen Kaliya-Perumal Arun-Kumar Hee Hwan Tak |
| author_facet | Oh Jacob Yoong-Leong Wang Victor Tzong-Jing Teo Timothy Wei Wen Kaliya-Perumal Arun-Kumar Hee Hwan Tak |
| author_sort | Oh Jacob Yoong-Leong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ossification of the yellow ligament (OYL) or ligamentum flavum, usually occurs in the thoracic spine. Focal OYL occurring in the cervical spine is considered rare and is sparsely reported in the literature. We came across a 30-year-old male patient with progressive left upper limb and bilateral lower limb weakness over a period of 3 months, associated with an unsteady gait. Clinical examination revealed bilateral generalized hyper-reflexia in both upper and lower limbs, inverted supinator jerk, Hoffman’s sign and clonus. Myelopathy due to cord compression was suspected and further investigations were done. MRI and CT scans revealed a bony mass in relation to the C6 spinous process projecting anterosuperiorly and narrowing the cervical spinal canal causing cord signal changes from C4 to C6 levels. In view of the deteriorating neurological status, immediate surgery in the form of decompression and posterior stabilization from C4-C6 was performed. Patient gradually recovered after surgery and attained full functional status. We report this case considering the unusual location of OYL and its successful management. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T04:38:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-24a31c905a344638ac1c951a74432331 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2211-8039 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T04:38:33Z |
| publishDate | 2019-06-01 |
| publisher | China Medical University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BioMedicine |
| spelling | doaj.art-24a31c905a344638ac1c951a744323312022-12-21T17:59:49ZengChina Medical UniversityBioMedicine2211-80392019-06-01921410.1051/bmdcn/2019090214bmdcn2019090214Ossification of the yellow ligament in the cervical spine – an unusual locationOh Jacob Yoong-LeongWang Victor Tzong-JingTeo Timothy Wei WenKaliya-Perumal Arun-KumarHee Hwan TakOssification of the yellow ligament (OYL) or ligamentum flavum, usually occurs in the thoracic spine. Focal OYL occurring in the cervical spine is considered rare and is sparsely reported in the literature. We came across a 30-year-old male patient with progressive left upper limb and bilateral lower limb weakness over a period of 3 months, associated with an unsteady gait. Clinical examination revealed bilateral generalized hyper-reflexia in both upper and lower limbs, inverted supinator jerk, Hoffman’s sign and clonus. Myelopathy due to cord compression was suspected and further investigations were done. MRI and CT scans revealed a bony mass in relation to the C6 spinous process projecting anterosuperiorly and narrowing the cervical spinal canal causing cord signal changes from C4 to C6 levels. In view of the deteriorating neurological status, immediate surgery in the form of decompression and posterior stabilization from C4-C6 was performed. Patient gradually recovered after surgery and attained full functional status. We report this case considering the unusual location of OYL and its successful management.https://biomedicine.edp-open.org/articles/bmdcn/full_html/2019/02/bmdcn2019090214/bmdcn2019090214.htmlLigamentum flavumNeurologic manifestationsOssificationSpinal cord compressionSpine |
| spellingShingle | Oh Jacob Yoong-Leong Wang Victor Tzong-Jing Teo Timothy Wei Wen Kaliya-Perumal Arun-Kumar Hee Hwan Tak Ossification of the yellow ligament in the cervical spine – an unusual location BioMedicine Ligamentum flavum Neurologic manifestations Ossification Spinal cord compression Spine |
| title | Ossification of the yellow ligament in the cervical spine – an unusual location |
| title_full | Ossification of the yellow ligament in the cervical spine – an unusual location |
| title_fullStr | Ossification of the yellow ligament in the cervical spine – an unusual location |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ossification of the yellow ligament in the cervical spine – an unusual location |
| title_short | Ossification of the yellow ligament in the cervical spine – an unusual location |
| title_sort | ossification of the yellow ligament in the cervical spine an unusual location |
| topic | Ligamentum flavum Neurologic manifestations Ossification Spinal cord compression Spine |
| url | https://biomedicine.edp-open.org/articles/bmdcn/full_html/2019/02/bmdcn2019090214/bmdcn2019090214.html |
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