Is OPLL-induced canal stenosis a risk factor of cord injury in cervical trauma?

The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between trauma severity and the degree of cord injury in patients with ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). Four-hundred-one patients were classified into Group A (OPLL(+)), Group B (spinal stenosis (+) and OPLL(-)), and Group C (OPLL (-) and spinal stenosis(-)). Trauma severity and neurological injury severity were compared according to presence of OPLL and spinal stenosis. OPLL was associated with a higher incidence of neurological injury with statistical significance (p = 0.002), whereas spinal stenosis did not (p = 0.408). With Group B+C (no OPLL group) in M (minimal) trauma group as baseline, Group A in M trauma group showed about 5 times, and Group A in S (severe) trauma group showed about 16 times as many cord injury. Patients with OPLL more frequently sustained spinal cord injury from minimal trauma.