title: Ossification of ligamentum flavum, a rare cause of myelopathy: First case report of a Lebanese patient.
abstract: Ossification of ligamentum flavum (OLF) is a well-known pathology causing myelopathy, although it is a rare disease. The most commonly affected population is from the Far East and mainly Japanese. However, few reports and studies have shown the prevalence of the disease all over the world. We report the case of a 33-year-old man presenting with signs of progressive myelopathy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed Th2-Th11 OLF with severe narrowing and intramedullary hypersignal at the level Th2-Th3. This is the first Lebanese case reported in the literature. A decompressive laminectomy with flavectomy was done. This case adds to the previous reported cases on the occurrence of the disease in different populations.
authors.affiliation: Departement of Neurosurgery, Saint George Hospital University Medical Centre, in Collaboration with Balamand University, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Antonios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: El Helou
authors.affiliation: Departement of Neurosurgery, Saint George Hospital University Medical Centre, in Collaboration with Balamand University, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Moussa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alaywan
authors.affiliation: Departement of Neurosurgery, Saint George Hospital University Medical Centre, in Collaboration with Balamand University, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tarabay
authors.affiliation: Departement of Neurosurgery, Saint George Hospital University Medical Centre, in Collaboration with Balamand University, Beirut, Lebanon.
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nachanakian
keywords: Myelopathy; ossification of ligamentum flavum; thoracic spinal cord