OPLL

Atsushi Okawa, MD and PhD, is a Professor and Chairman of Orthopaedic and Spinal Surgery at Tokyo Medical and Dental University. He also serves as a director of the university. He has previously served as Vice-president of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association, and as chief researcher in a study group on the ossification of the spinal ligaments, supported by a Japanese Health Labor Sciences Research Grant for six years until 2019. His chief areas of expertise are anterior corpectomy and fusion for OPLL and research into spinal cord monitoring. He has published over 100 papers in these areas. Morio Matsumoto, MD and PhD, is a Professor and Chairman of Orthopedic Surgery at Keio University. He also serves as President of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association. His research interests include genetic studies on ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament and idiopathic and congenital scoliosis, as well as clinical studies on various spinal disorders. He has published over 400peer-reviewed articles in the field of orthopedics. Motoki Iwasaki is Vice-President of Osaka Rosai Hospital and a Clinical Professor at Osaka University’s Graduate School of Medicine. He has previously served as a visiting assistant professor at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, UCSF (1995-1997). His main research interests are in OPLL and spinal deformities. He has published over 250 papers and over 60 books. He also serves as an editor for Spine Surgery and Related Research, and for Journal of Orthopaedic Science. He has been honored e.g. with an Academic Encouragement Award (JOA, 1994), New Investigators Recognition Award (ORS, 1997), and Clinical Research Award (CSRS, 2001 & 2003). Yoshiharu Kawaguchi is a Professor and Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Toyama. He also serves as Educational Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery, AOSpine Asia Pacific region and has previously chaired the International Committee of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA). His research interests include spinal surgery and the pathology of spinal diseases, including ossification of the spinal ligaments. He has published over 100 papers and eight books. He is a chief editor of the Journal of Spine Research, the official journal of the Japanese Society of Spine Research (JSSR); a deputy editor of Spine Surgery Related Research, the official English-language journal of the JSSR; and a deputy editor of Global Spine Journal, the official journal of AOSpine. He has been honored with various awards, including a JOA basic research award (1996) and JOA clinical research award (2004).

Part 1 Introduction.- 1 History of research.- Part 2 Epidemiology.- 2 An Overview of Epidemiology and Genetics.- 3 OPLL: Disease entity, prevalence, literature research, and growth.- 4 Natural History of Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament (OPLL).- Part 3 Pathology & Pathogenesis.- 5 Overview of Recent Basic Researches on OPLL and OLF.- 6 Histopathological Features of Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament.- 7 Ectopic Ossification of Human Spinal Ligaments Caused by Mesenchymal Stem Cell Abnormalities.- 8 A Short History of Genetic Study of OPLL.- 9 Overview of possible roles of OPLL-associated genes in OPLL development.- 10 Application of iPS cell technology for OPLL.- 11 Mechanisms underlying OPLL development in Tiptoe Walking (ttw) Mice.- 12 In vivo tracing of neural tracts in tip-toe walking Yoshimura mice by diffusion tensor tractography.- 13 Metabolomics analysis in OPLL patients.- Part 4 Diagnosis.- 14 Diagnosis of OPLL and OLF: overview.- 15Clinical manifestation of cervical OPLL.- 16 Three-dimensional imaging of cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.- 17 Clinical manifestations of thoracic ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) and ossification of the ligament flavum (OLF).- 18 Evaluation of distribution patterns of spinal ligament ossification using whole-spine computed tomography in patients with cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.- 19 Diagnostic imaging of thoracic OPLL and OLF.- 20 Biomechanics of the spinal cord compression due to cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.- Part 5 Treatment.- 21 Surgical Indications and Choice of Surgical Procedure for Cervical Ossification of the Longitudinal Ligament.- 22 Overview of Laminoplasty.- 23 Open-door Laminoplasty for Cervical OPLL: Technique, Long-term Results, and Complications.- 24 Double-door Laminoplasty for Cervical OPLL : Technique, Complications and Long-term Results.- 25 Posterior Decompression and Fusion for Cervical OPLL: Indication and Technique.- 26 Anterior Cervical Decompression for Cervical OPLL: Technique, Complications and Long-term Results.- 27 Surgical Indications and Choice of Surgical Procedure for Thoracic OPLL.- 28 Posterior decompression and fusion for thoracic OPLL: surgical techniques, outcomes, timing and complications.- 29 Anterior Decompression and Fusion for Thoracic OPLL: Transthoracic and Transsternal Approaches.- 30 Circumferential Decompression Through Posterior Approach for Thoracic OPLL: Technique and Complications.- 31 Surgery for ossification of the ligamentum flavum: posterior decompression with or without fusion.- 32 Computer-Aided Surgery for Ossification of the Spinal Ligaments.- 33 Surgical Treatment of Thoracic Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament: Intraoperative Spinal Cord Monitoring.- 34 Intraoperative ultrasonography for patients with ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.