Flexion-induced cervical myelopathy associated with fewer elastic fibers and thickening in the posterior dura mater

Abstract

Two patients with a condition clinically resembling juvenile muscular atrophy of distal upper extremity (Hirayama disease) showed forward protrusive movement of the posterior cervical dura matter during neck flexion. The dura displacement was characteristically limited in an approximately central portion of the posterior dura, which is different from Hirayama disease, which exhibits whole posterior dura displacement. Interestingly, the restricted dura in these patients showed thickening with reduced elastic fibers, indicating that the decreased stretchability of the posterior dura had caused motor dominant cervical myelopathy.