Novel therapeutic strategy in the treatment of ossification of the ligamentum flavum associated with dural ossification

Purpose To investigate the imaging characteristics of thoracic ossification of ligamentum flavum (OLF) combined with dural ossification (DO) and the clinical efficacy of zoning laminectomy. Method The clinical data of 48 patients with thoracic OLF combined with DO who underwent zoning laminectomy between June 2016 and May 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The modified Japanese Orthopedic Association (mJOA) score was used to evaluate neurological function before and after surgery, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated according to the improvement rate. Results The symptoms of all patients significantly improved after the operation, and the average follow-up time was 27.8 (10–47) months. In addition, the average mJOA score had increased from 5.0 (2–8) preoperatively to 8.7 (6–11) postoperatively (t = 18.880, P