title: Severe facet joint arthrosis caused c7/t1 myelopathy: a case report.
abstract: Cervical myelopathy is caused by degenerative processes of the spine including intervertebral disc herniation and posterior spur usually developing at C3/4 to C5/6. C7/T1 single level myelopathy is very rare because of the anatomical characteristics. Facet joint arthrosis can be a cause of cervical myelopathy but only a few cases have been reported. The authors report an extremely rare case of C7/T1 myelopathy caused by facet joint arthrosis. A 58-year-old male presented with hand and gait clumsiness. The radiological examinations revealed severe C7/T1 facet joint arthrosis with bony spur extending into the spinal canal, which compressed the spinal cord laterally. The T1 spinous process indicated nonunion of a "clay-shoveler's" fracture, which suggested that his cervico-thoracic spine had been frequently moved, and thus severe arthrosis had occurred in the facet joints. A right hemilaminectomy of C7 and C7/T1 facetectomy with single level spinal fusion led to complete neurological improvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8574, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshimi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aizawa
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozawa
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hoshikawa
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kusakabe
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Itoi