title: Is ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament an enthesopathy?
abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) with enthesis, the site where the posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) attaches to the vertebral body, by multi-detector CT reconstruction images. Twenty-nine patients with OPLL were studied. According to the plaques' continuity to the vertebral body, OPLL plaques were classified into two categories: "free" and "contiguous". A "broken sign" was defined as a crack between two plaques. The sites where each "contiguous" plaque attached to the vertebral body were then analysed. There were 78 ossified plaques in total, and six were "free". There were eight cases with a "broken sign", including six "free" ones. The site where all 72 "contiguous" plaques attached to the vertebral body included the zone where the PLL enthesis was situated, while other zones were included in only part of the plaques. Our conclusion was that there might be no real "free type" ossified plaques, and OPLL could start from enthesis, which indicated OPLL could be a kind of enthesopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, 415# Fengyang Road, Shanghai, Peoples Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Dianwen
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Xinwei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiaolong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yuan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D017887:Ossification of Posterior Longitudinal Ligament / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed