[An autopsy case of pallido-nigro-luysian atrophy associated with OPLL]

Clinical and neuropathological studies of a case of pallido-nigro-luysian atrophy with thalamic degeneration and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) is reported. The patient was a 72-year-old man, suffering from gait disturbance caused by OPLL for about 3 years. The clinical features were characterized by gradual development of disorientation in place, time and person, memory disturbance, vertical gaze palsy and rigidity of extremities. Dysarthria, dysphagia, bradykinesia, masked face and neck dystonia appeared at the advanced stage of his illness. There was no tremor or other involuntary movements. A clinical diagnosis of parkinsonism was suspected. The main neuropathological findings were neuronal loss and gliosis in globus pallidus, substantia nigra, subthalamic nucleus and thalamus. In addition, neuronal loss of the anterior horn of the cervical spinal cord due to compression by OPLL (C4-C7) was recognized. The neuropathological findings of the present case were consistent with systemic degenerative disorder of the nervous system affecting the pallido-nigro-luysian tract. This rare disorder should be considered in the differential diagnosis of parkinsonism in old people.