{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,23]],"date-time":"2026-05-23T09:10:08Z","timestamp":1779527408765,"version":"3.53.1"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"Journal of Neurosurgery Publishing Group (JNSPG)","issue":"2","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["FOC"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2008,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>\u2713Ossified ligamentum flavum (OLF) in the thoracic spine is a rare cause of myelopathy, often presenting with progressive symptomatology over an extended period of time. Surgical decompression via wide laminectomy has been the mainstay of treatment for this symptomatic disease phenomenon, but complications such as kyphotic deformity have developed due to extensive bone removal and release of the posterior tension band. The authors present a case of OLF excised via a minimally invasive microsurgical approach in which an expandable tubular retractor system was used. This approach enables complete decompression of the spinal canal while minimizing nerve, vascular, and musculoskeletal disruption, thus maintaining the native biomechanical disposition of the intact vertebral column.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3171\/foc\/2008\/25\/8\/e7","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2008,8,1]],"date-time":"2008-08-01T13:41:46Z","timestamp":1217598106000},"page":"E7","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Removal of ossified ligamentum flavum via a minimally invasive surgical approach"],"prefix":"10.3171","volume":"25","author":[{"given":"Vincent Y.","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco Spine Center, University of California, San Francisco, California; and"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Adam S.","family":"Kanter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Spine Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Praveen V.","family":"Mummaneni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco Spine Center, University of California, San Francisco, California; and"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1754","reference":[{"key":"b1-0250007","series-title":"J Neurosurg Spine","first-page":"514","article-title":"Thoracic myelopathy caused by ossification of the ligamentum flavum: clinical features and surgical results in the Japanese population","volume":"5","author":"Aizawa","year":"2006"},{"issue":"2 Suppl","key":"b2-0250007","series-title":"J Neurosurg","first-page":"157","article-title":"Thoracic myelopathy caused by ossification of the ligamentum flavum: a report of 18 cases","volume":"99","author":"Ben Hamouda","year":"2003"},{"key":"b3-0250007","series-title":"J Neurosurg Spine","first-page":"348","article-title":"Clinical and prognostic analysis of ossified ligamentum flavum in a Chinese population","volume":"3","author":"He","year":"2005"},{"key":"b4-0250007","series-title":"J Neurosurg Spine","first-page":"133","article-title":"A review of factors predictive of surgical outcome for ossification of the ligamentum flavum of the thoracic spine","volume":"5","author":"Inamasu","year":"2006"},{"key":"b5-0250007","series-title":"J Neurosurg Spine","first-page":"191","article-title":"Surgical treatment of 40 patients with thoracic ossification of the ligamentum flavum","volume":"4","author":"Li","year":"2006"},{"key":"b6-0250007","series-title":"Spine","first-page":"308","article-title":"Myelopathy caused by ossification of ligamentum flavum","volume":"27","author":"Li","year":"2002"},{"issue":"3 Suppl","key":"b7-0250007","series-title":"J Neurosurg","first-page":"251","article-title":"Factors related to long-term outcome after decompressive surgery for ossification of the ligamentum flavum of the thoracic spine","volume":"99","author":"Miyakoshi","year":"2003"},{"key":"b8-0250007","series-title":"Spine","first-page":"280","article-title":"Thoracic myelopathy caused by ossification of the ligamentum flavum. 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