Histo-morphometry of the Cervical Spinal Process : with reference to mechanism of ossification of the cervical posterior longitudinal ligament

The histo-morphometry of the spinal process has not been investigated so far. The purpose of this paper is to clarify the bone metabolism of the spinal process using a method of bone histo-morphometry, with special reference to the mechanism on ossification of the cervical posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). The subjects of this study were the 7th cervical spinal processes, which were harvested from 30 patients with cervical laminectomy and 3 cadavers. The patients were divided into two groups depending on the presence of OPLL. 15 patients had OPLL (OPLL group) and 15 patients did not (non-OPLL group). There was no significant difference between OPLL group and non-OPLL group as to each parameter of the morphometry measured, when the specimens were compared as a whole. However, the difference was found in some parameters, if the area of the specimens was divided into three sections, which were the tip, middle and base areas of the spinal process. When BV/TV, OS/BS and ES/BS were selected for the parameters, the tip area indicated higher scores than the remained areas in both groups. Especially the difference of OS/BS was statiscally larger in the OPLL group than in the non-OPLL group (p<0.05). These results showed that the metabolic rate of the area, where much mechanical stress were loaded, were accelerated , and possibly indicated that the bone metabolism were inherently accelerated to some degree in OPLL patients.

棘突起

骨形態計測

後縦靱帯骨化症