Spine Center, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Niigata Central Hospital, 1-18 Shinkocho, Chuo-ku, Niigata, Niigata, 950-8556, Japan.
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Niigata University Medical and Dental General Hospital, 1-757 Asahimachidori, Chuo-ku, Niigata, Niigata, 951-8510, Japan.
Sci Rep. 2021 Jul 12;11(1):14337. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-93602-0.
Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is a progressive disease. The bridging of ossified lesions to the vertebral body gradually increases, thereby decreasing the mobility of the cervical spine; thus, cervical spine function may decrease over time. However, cervical spine function in patients with cervical OPLL has not been evaluated in large prospective studies. Therefore, we conducted a prospective multicenter study to clarify whether ossification spread can influence cervical spine function and quality of life (QOL) in patients with cervical OPLL. In total, 238 patients (162 men, 76 women; mean age, 63.9 years) were enrolled from 16 institutions. Each patient underwent whole spine computed tomography and was evaluated for cervical spine function and QOL using the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Cervical Myelopathy Evaluation Questionnaire (JOACMEQ). In the multivariate regression analysis, a higher neck VAS score and a larger number of bridge formations of OPLL in the whole spine were significant predictors of adverse outcomes related to cervical spine function. This is the first prospective multicenter study to reveal the impact of ossification spread on cervical spine function. These findings are important to understand the natural course of OPLL and can serve as controls when evaluating postoperative cervical spine function.
后纵韧带骨化症(ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament,OPLL)是一种进行性疾病。骨化病变向椎体的桥接逐渐增加,从而降低颈椎的活动性;因此,颈椎功能可能会随着时间的推移而下降。然而,在大型前瞻性研究中尚未评估颈椎 OPLL 患者的颈椎功能。因此,我们进行了一项前瞻性多中心研究,以阐明骨化扩散是否会影响颈椎 OPLL 患者的颈椎功能和生活质量(quality of life,QOL)。共有 238 名患者(162 名男性,76 名女性;平均年龄 63.9 岁)来自 16 个机构被纳入。每位患者均接受全脊柱 CT 检查,并使用日本矫形协会颈椎病评估问卷(Japanese Orthopaedic Association Cervical Myelopathy Evaluation Questionnaire,JOACMEQ)评估颈椎功能和 QOL。在多变量回归分析中,较高的颈部 VAS 评分和全脊柱中较多的 OPLL 桥接形成是颈椎功能不良结局的显著预测因素。这是第一项揭示骨化扩散对颈椎功能影响的前瞻性多中心研究。这些发现对于理解 OPLL 的自然病程很重要,并且在评估术后颈椎功能时可以作为对照。