BACKGROUND Epidural blocks are widely used for the management of acute and chronic pain. The technique of loss of resistance is frequently adopted to determine the epidural space. A discontinuity of the ligamentum flavum may increase the risk of failure to identify the epidural space. The purpose of this study was to investigate the anatomic variations of the cervical and high thoracic ligament...

PURPOSE To examine ligamentum flavum thickness using magnetic resonance (MR) images to evaluate its association with low back pain symptoms, age, gender, lumbar level, and disc characteristics. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty-three individuals were part of this IRB-approved study: twenty-seven with chronic low back pain, and thirty-six as asymptomatic. All patients underwent MR imaging and comput...

A patient who presented with symptoms suggestive of nerve root compression secondary to an extradural mass was found to have a hematoma in the ligamentum flavum. Pathological examination of surgical specimens revealed an old hemorrhage, and hemosiderin deposits around organized granulation tissue within the ligamentum flavum. Vessels within the ligamentum flavum had, presumably, ruptured during...

Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Objective The objective was to measure the change of flavum ligament diameter during positional changes of the cervical spine using kinetic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and to examine the correlational diameter changes of the flavum ligament, disk bulging, and the spinal canal from extension to flexion positions. Methods One hundred eight-nine patien...

To explore the conservation and cultivation of Cypripedium flavum at comparatively lower altitudes, a study on variations in photosynthetic characteristics was conducted on C. flavum plants from the high mountains of the eastern Himalayas. Plants of same size (6 leaves, 35-40 cm height) were selected from Tianshengqiao (alt. 3,450 m) and planted at the gardens at Zhongdian (alt. 3,200 m) and Ku...

We describe a rare case of lumbar spinal stenosis due to a large calcified mass in the ligamentum flavum. This patient presented with a 12-month history of severe right leg pain and intermittent claudication. A computed tomography scan was performed, revealing a large calcified mass on the ligamentum flavum at the right-hand side of the lumbar spinal canal. We performed a laminotomy at the L4/5...

INTRODUCTION Achondroplasia is a genetic disorder of bone growth. Congenital spinal stenosis is a well-known complication of this disease, but, to the best of our knowledge, no cases involving combined stenosis with congenital lumbar spinal stenosis and ossification of the ligamentum flavum in achondroplasia have been reported previously. In this report, we describe a case of a patient with con...

STUDY DESIGN The serum levels of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta1), tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) and TIMP-2 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. PURPOSE To compare the serum levels of TGF-beta1, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 between patients with lumbar spinal stenosis and disc herniation. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE It has been reported that increased c...