Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 16, 2026

Operational and Intervention Effects of Targeted Tuina in Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Degeneration Model Rabbits
Published on: July 21, 2023
Alkaptonuria-Associated Changes in Disc Degeneration: A Case Report
Helen E Gruber1, Edward N Hanley
1Orthopaedic Biology Research Laboratory, Cannon Research Building, Room 304, Carolinas Medical Center, PO Box 32861, Charlotte, NC 28232.
Case:
A thirty-nine-year-old man with alkaptonuria presented with low back pain. Imaging demonstrated lumbar scoliosis, extensive irregularities of end-plate vertebral margins, and Thompson Grade-V disc degeneration. Six months later, the patient returned with a herniated L2-L3 disc. Minimally invasive disc surgery was performed, and harvested disc tissue showed marked extracellular matrix changes and ochronotic pigment deposits.
Conclusion:
Scattered previous literature is available regarding disc changes in alkaptonuria. Although rare, alkaptonuria appears to severely impact the disc as reflected by cellular and matrix inclusions that contribute to disc-cell pathology.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Urinary Tract Calculi II: Pathophysiology and Clinical Manifestations
Chronic Kidney Disease II: Clinical Manifestations
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ...
Peripheral Arterial Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Evaluation
Parkinson's Disease: Overview
Chronic Kidney Disease I: Introduction

