{"id":"3dcf9c66-a20d-4f34-8738-6d7386ed63c5","slug":"a-rare-cause-of-thoracic-cord-compression","title":"A rare cause of thoracic cord compression","authors":["Anderson Alexsander Rodrigues Teixeira","Lucas Fernandes Ferreira","Bruno Nunes Ferraz De Abreu","Euler Nicolau Sauaia Filho","Francisco Ramos Junior"],"abstract":"Background: The posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) extends from the foramen magnum to the sacrum. In some cases, it becomes calcified/ossified; the term for this is ossification of the PLL (OPLL). Case Description: A 50-year-old female presented with acute sphincter dysfunction and paraparesis attributed to T2–T4 OPLL. The patient underwent a C7-T5 laminectomy to decompress the spinal cord. After 1 postoperative week, and certainly by 6 months postoperatively, the patient's motor and sensory deficits showed improvement. Conclusion: Surgery for thoracic OPLL includes laminoplasty, laminectomy with/without fusion, anterior decompression through a posterior approach (transpedicular, costotransversectomy), and circumferential decompression (e.g. combined anterior/posterior approaches). In cases like the one presented, patients who originally present with acute paraparesis/sphincter dysfunction may demonstrate postoperative improvement.","thumbnailUrl":"https://sni-digital-videos.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/3dcf9c66-a20d-4f34-8738-6d7386ed63c5/featured/hero-1782420860968.png","publishDate":"2018-09-21T00:00:00.000Z","doi":"10.4103/sni.sni_256_18","categories":["General Neurosurgery","Case Report"],"fullTextUrl":"https://surgicalneurologyint.com/api/articles/3dcf9c66-a20d-4f34-8738-6d7386ed63c5/pdf"}