Radiculopathy due to ossification of the yellow ligament at the lower lumbar spine.
METHODS
A case report.


OBJECTIVE
To report a rare case of a 27-year-old female with ossification of yellow ligament at the lower lumbar spine presenting radiculopathy with a drop foot.


BACKGROUND
The majority of cases of ossification of yellow ligament occur at the lower third of the thoracic or the thoracolumbar spine. There are only a few reports of ossification of yellow ligament in the lumbar spine and radiculopathy due to ossification of yellow ligament at L4-L5 and L5-S1 levels is very uncommon.


METHODS
A 27-year-old female with a prior fracture of posterior ring apophysis of L5 presented with leg pain and a drop foot. Magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated stenosis with compression of the cauda equina at the L4-L5 and L5-S1 levels.


RESULTS
Decompressive laminectomy of L5 and removal of the ossified yellow ligaments were performed. Histologic examination of en bloc specimen of ossification of yellow ligament revealed degenerative changes of the elastic fibers in the yellow ligament with adjacent chondrosis and ossification. The patient's severe leg pain disappeared completely, although the extent of the drop foot had not fully recovered at the final follow-up examination.


CONCLUSIONS
The mechanism of ossification of yellow ligament in the present case was unclear. The patient did not have any previous generalized disorders besides the history of a ring apophysial fracture or any family history of treatment for ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament or ossification of yellow ligament. Therefore, localized mechanical stress might have influenced the development of ossification of yellow ligament at lower lumbar spine.
Yano
Tomonori
T
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kobe Rosai Hospital, Japan.
Doita
Minoru
M
Iguchi
Tetsuhiro
T
Kurihara
Akira
A
Kasahara
Koichi
K
Nishida
Kotaro
K
Yoshiya
Shinichi
S
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008022:Ligaments / Q000473:pathology*; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009999:Ossification, Heterotopic / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D011843:Radiculopathy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D013130:Spinal Stenosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed