Five Cases of the Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament of the Cervical Spine, Especially on 3 Cases with Anterior Spinal Fusion

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We have experienced the treatment of 5 cases of the ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament of the cervical spine for the past 2 years.All the cases were males in the age range of 40 and showed slight sensory disturbance and severe spastic motor disturbance, similar to the symptoms of cervical spondylotic myelopathy.Continuous cervical traction was performed on 2 cases and anterior spinal fusion on 3 severe cases. These postoperative course was quite setisfactory and impressive.It is undoubted that the appearance of myelopathy in this condition is concerned with the circulatory disturbance due to continuous compression of the cord by the ossified mass, strengthening by the slight extension movements of the intervertebral space accompanied with the movement of the cervical spine, therefore, it is assumed that anterior spinal fusion with the enlargement of the intervertebral space was effective to the improvement of the circulatory disturbance of the cord.As for the operative procedure for this condition, it is needless to describe that extensive decompressive laminectomy should be chosen; however, I should like to emphasize that anterior spinal fusion by safe and easy technique should be chosen at first even for the case with extensive ossification, which had showed no symptoms for a long time.