====== Thoracic degenerative spondylolisthesis ======

[[Degenerative spondylolisthesis]] of the [[spine]] is less common in the lower [[thoracic]] [[region]] than in the lumbar and cervical regions. However, lower thoracic degenerative [[spondylolisthesis]] may develop secondary to [[intervertebral disc degeneration]]. Most are found to have concomitant lumbar [[spondylosis]]
((Hsieh PC, Lee ST, Chen JF. Lower thoracic degenerative spondylithesis with concomitant lumbar spondylosis. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2014 Mar;118:21-5. doi: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2013.11.019. Epub 2013 Dec 6. PubMed PMID: 24529224.)).

A 78-year-old Japanese man presented with a 6-month history of [[gait disorder]]. A magnetic resonance imaging scan of his cervical and thoracic spine revealed anterior [[spondylolisthesis]] and severe [[spinal cord compression]] at T3 to T4 and T10 to T11, as well as high signal intensity in a [[T2 weighted image]] at T10/11. Computed tomography revealed diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis at T4 to T10. He underwent partial [[laminectomy]] of T10 and posterior [[fusion]] of T9 to T12. The postoperative [[magnetic resonance imaging]] revealed resolution of the spinal cord compression and an improvement in the high signal intensity on the T2-weighted image.

This is the first case of thoracic [[spondylolisthesis]] and spinal cord compression in [[diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis]]. Neurosurgical intervention resulted in a significant improvement of patient's neurological symptoms
((Takagi Y, Yamada H, Ebara H, Hayashi H, Iwanaga T, Shimozaki K, Kitano Y,
Kagechika K, Tsuchiya H. Thoracic spondylolisthesis and spinal cord compression
in diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis: a case report. J Med Case Rep. 2017 
Apr 1;11(1):90. doi: 10.1186/s13256-017-1252-0. PubMed PMID: 28363281; PubMed
Central PMCID: PMC5376279.
)).