Ossification of Posterior Longitudinal Ligament of Cervical Spine Among Omani Patients Referred for CT Scan at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Oman

OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the proportion of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) of the cervical spine and associated factors among Omani patients. METHODS: We reviewed the cervical spine computed tomography (CT) scans of all patients referred to the Radiology Department, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, from 2011 to 2017. Descriptive statistics were employed to determine the proportion of OPLL. We used the chi-square test to determine the association of age, gender, and diabetes mellitus with OPLL. RESULTS: A total of 843 patients aged ≥ 20 years were included in the study. The proportion of OPLL was 2.7% and was more frequent in men (3.2%) than women (1.9%). The male to female ratio of OPLL was 1.7:1.0. OPLL occurrence was significantly more in non-diabetic patients (p < 0.001). No significant association was found between OPLL with gender (p = 0.281) and age (p = 0.878). CONCLUSIONS: The observed proportion of OPLL in this single-center study is relatively low, but the finding is important as the condition can eventually lead to debilitating neurologic outcomes affecting the patient’s quality of life. OPLL occurrence was significantly more in non-diabetic patients, which necessitate further research on OPLL in a larger sample across Oman.