[A clinicopathological study of cervical intervertebral discs--Part 2: On morphological and roentgenologic findings]

One hundred and eleven cervical vertebral bodies and 153 cervical intervertebral discs obtained in 35 autopsy cases were studied first by plain roentgenograms, discography and CT discography (CTD), and then histologically. In addition to the above studies, morphological measurements of various parts of the disc were made. Following results were obtained: 1) The anterior portion of the disc tended to become thinner with aging than the middle and posterior portions, 2) The nucleus pulposus initially located slightly anterior to the middle portion of the disc tended to move gradually to the posterior portion of the disc with aging, 3) The antero-posterior diameter of the cartilaginous plate showed a gradual decrease with aging, 4) False-negative discography+ was observed more frequently in the anterior protrusion than in the posterior protrusion, 5) The false-positive discography+ was apparently often caused by the penetration of the contrast medium into the Luschka's joint, and 6) The osteophyte of the vertebral body may be formed by enchondral ossification triggered by disc degeneration according to the histological studies.