Effects of Stabilization in Extension in Cervical Ossification of a Posterior Longitudinal Ligament : A Case Report

A 74-year-old male with progressive myelopathy due to cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) was treated by laminoplasty from C3 to C7. One day after surgery, he complained of radiating pain and numbness from the neck to the radial side of the right hand when the head of the bed was raised 60 degrees with his head on a pillow. The symptoms, however, receded rapidly when the bed was returned to the horizontal position. Multi-segmental fusion in extension using a pedicle screw system was performed and the position-related symptoms ceased. We suspected that destabilization due to laminoplasty slightly increased the segmental motion, causing neurologic deterioration.