[Updates of ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament. Clinical results and complication of surgery for thoracic myelopathy due to ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament].

We performed 3 types of surgical procedures for thoracic myelopathy due to OPLL : posterior decompression, OPLL-extirpation, and posterior decompression with instrumented fusion (PDF) . A considerable degree of neurological recovery was obtained in all patients who underwent PDF, despite the anterior impingement of the spinal cord by OPLL remaining. In addition, the rate of post-operative complications was extremely low with PDF, when compared with posterior decompression and OPLL-extirpation groups. We recommend that one stage posterior decompression with instrumented fusion be selected for cases in whom the spinal cord is severely damaged pre-operatively.