Evaluation of Distribution Patterns of Spinal Ligament Ossification Using Whole-Spine Computed Tomography in Patients with Cervical Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament

Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) and other types of spinal ligament ossification are common in Japan and are known to frequently cause neuropathy. Cervical OPLL is a common form of OPLL that often involves ossification of not only the cervical vertebrae but also ligaments in other parts of the spine, and therefore evaluation of ossification by 360° whole-spine imaging is considered important. In this study, we analyzed data from a large multicenter retrospective study to evaluate the distribution of spinal ligament ossification across the entire spine in patients with cervical OPLL with a focus on correlations between OPLL, ossification of the nuchal ligament, ossification of the supraspinous and interspinous ligaments, and diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis.