Patients with a large ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament have a higher incidence of arteriosclerosis in the carotid artery

This study aimed to investigate the impact of the severity of cervical ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) on the incidence of arteriosclerosis in the carotid artery.

Patients with OPLL-induced cervical myelopathy were prospectively enrolled. The study involved analyzing patient characteristics, blood samples, computed tomography scans of the spine, and intima-media thickness (IMT) measurements of the common carotid artery. Patients were divided into two groups based on the size of the cervical OPLL to compare demographic data, comorbidities, and the presence of thickening of the carotid intima-media (max IMT ≥ 1.1 mm).

The study included 96 patients (mean age: 63.5 years; mean body mass index: 26.9 kg/m²; 71.8% male; 35.4% with diabetes mellitus). The mean maximum anteroposterior (AP) diameter of the OPLL was 4.9 mm, with a mean occupancy ratio of 43%. The mean maximum IMT was 1.23 mm. Arteriosclerosis of the carotid artery was diagnosed in 62.5% of the patients. On comparing the two groups based on OPLL size, the group with larger OPLL (≥ 5 mm) had a higher BMI and a greater prevalence of carotid intima-media thickening. This significant difference in the prevalence of carotid intima-media thickening persisted even after adjusting for patient backgrounds using propensity score matching.

Patients with a larger cervical OPLL showed a higher frequency of intima-media thickening in the carotid artery.