Abstract
Two cases of cervical myelopathy due to calcification of the ligamenta flava (CLF) are described for the first time in black patients from the French West Indies. A pre-operative CT scan differentiated the diagnosis from one of ossification of the ligamenta flava. Microanalysis on the operatively excised specimen in one patient revealed a mixture of calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystals and hydroxypatite crystals. Poor outcome in one patient contrasting with excellent recovery in the other one, who had undergone posterior decompressive laminectomy, emphasizes the importance of surgery in the management of CLF.
Keywords: Key words Calcification, Ligamenta flava, Cervical, myelopathy, West Indians
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Footnotes
Received: 31 July 1998 Revised: 10 December 1998 Accepted: 11 January 1999