Cough induced by ossification of the ligamentum flavum in the high cervical spine. Case report

J Neurosurg. 2004 Apr;100(4 Suppl Spine):364-6. doi: 10.3171/spi.2004.100.4.0364.

Abstract

The authors report a very rare case of high cervical ossification of the ligamentum flavum (OLF) in a 40-year-old woman who developed an intractable cough after a traffic accident. The patient's symptoms subsided immediately after decompressive laminectomy and removal of the lesion. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of high cervical OLF in a patient who presented with a cough. The pathophysiological mechanism underlying the cough was determined to be symptomatic of high cervical spine OLF.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Accidents, Traffic
  • Adult
  • Cervical Vertebrae
  • Cough / etiology*
  • Decompression, Surgical
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Laminectomy
  • Ligamentum Flavum / pathology*
  • Ossification, Heterotopic / complications*
  • Ossification, Heterotopic / surgery