Thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum in elite athletes: a case series with surgical outcomes and return-to-play profiles
Thoracic OLF can affect elite athletes and present with atypical symptoms. The SRT may assist in early detection. In our cohort, fusion was not required; anatomically precise posterior decompression without fusion appeared sufficient to enable a safe return to high-level competition.
Authors
- Kazuyuki Watanabe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0286-2440)
- Kinshi Kato (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1749-7274)
- Koji Otani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8409-9623)
- Kenichi Otoshi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5456-0703)
- Hiroshi Kobayashi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8060-7309)
- Takuya Nikaido (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8162-9294)
- Shoji Yabuki (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3647-3718)
- Yoshihiro Matsumoto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0039-2855)
Institutions
- Fukushima Medical University (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- European Spine Journal
- Published
- 2025-12-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-025-09636-9
- Primary Topic
- Cervical and Thoracic Myelopathy
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00