Abstract
We present four cases of delayed myelopathy following kyphosis in adults. One case is congenital kyphosis due to hemivertebra. The other three cases of kyphosis occured after tuberculosis of spine. In the case of congenital kyphosis, minor movement at apex of the kyphosis was suspected in the radiographs and MRI. Thus we considered that myelopathy was resulted from abnormal mobility with the kyphosis. In one of the three tuberculosis, we observed the destroyed vertebrae in MRI and signs of inflammation, which were caused by the recurrence of tuberculosis. In the other two cases the most kyphotic vertebrae were fused, so that dynamic factor was not the cause of myelopathy and other factors causing myelopathy were suspected. Further examination showed syrinx by CT and MRI in one case, and ossification of the ligamentum flavum by tomography and CT in the other case.
Dynamic factor in the most kyphotic area should be checked at first in the cases with kyphotic myelopathy. If no instability in the spines, further examinations will be necessary for searching other causes of myelopathy.
