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Case Reports
. 2022 Dec;76(6):743-748.
doi: 10.18926/AMO/64126.

Posterolateral Floating Technique for the Thoracic Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament with Navigation: A Technical Note

Masato Tanaka  1 , Hardik Suthar  1 , Dhvanit Desai  1 , Taro Yamauchi  1 , Shinya Arataki  1 , Yoshihiro Fujiwara  1 , Koji Uotani  1   2 , Yoshiaki Oda  1   2 , Haruo Misawa  2
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Free article
Case Reports

Posterolateral Floating Technique for the Thoracic Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament with Navigation: A Technical Note

Masato Tanaka et al. Acta Med Okayama. 2022 Dec.
Free article

Abstract

We describe a floating technique via a posterolateral approach with intraoperative O-arm navigation to facilitate decompression of the spinal cord in thoracic myelopathy due to severe ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). A 62-year-old man with myelopathy due to thoracic OPLL had left-leg muscle weakness, urinary disturbance, and spastic gait. Bilateral leg pain and gait disturbance had persisted for 2 years. He was successfully treated by the posterolateral OPLL floating procedure and posterior pedicle fixation under O-arm navigation. At a 2-year follow-up, manual muscle testing results and sensory function of the left leg had recovered fully. His cervical Japanese Orthopedic Association score had improved from 5/12 to 11/12. The novel intraoperative O-arm navigation-guided posterolateral floating procedure for thoracic OPLL is effective for achieving precise decompression and strong fixation with a posterior approach only and can provide an excellent result for severe thoracic OPLL without the risk of adverse events from intraoperative radiation.

Keywords: navigation surgery; C-arm free; floating method; ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

References

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