Opll / Ossification of the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament

This volume brings together information on all aspects of OPLL - epidemiology, aetiology, diagnosis and treatment - with contributions by Japanese researchers and surgeons, including members of the Ministry of Health and Welfare Investigation Committee.

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Ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is a hyperostotic condition of the spine with severe neurological deficits. In 1975 the Investigation Committee for OPLL, under the auspices of the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare, established diagnostic criteria for the condition, and with growing awareness of OPLL among Japanese researchers and spinal surgeons, the number of patients diagnosed with the condition in Japan has increased in recent years. As knowledge of OPLL has spread, there has also been an increase in the number of reported cases of the condition in other parts of the world: Asia, the United States and Europe. This volume brings together information on all aspects of OPLL - epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis and treatment - with contributions by Japanese researchers and surgeons, including members of the Ministry of Health and Welfare Investigation Committee, and by American surgeons with expertise in the field.