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Disc herniations in the young and end-plate vascularity
S Chandraraj1, C A Briggs, K Opeskin
1Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
Clinical Anatomy (New York, N.Y.)
|May 14, 1998
Summary
Remnants of nutritive vascular canals in vertebrae leave weak spots. These "scars" allow disc material herniation, forming Schmorl's nodes in early adulthood.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Developmental Biology
- Histology
Background:
- Vertebral bodies contain nutritive vascular canals crucial for development.
- The fate of these canals and their relationship to vertebral structure is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the persistence of vascular canal remnants in the vertebral body.
- To correlate these remnants with end-plate weaknesses.
- To understand the development of Schmorl's nodes.
Main Methods:
- Histological examination of 20 human lumbar vertebrae (birth to 22 years).
- Analysis of the body-disc region, focusing on end-plate cartilage vascularity.
- Tracking the regression of vascular canals and formation of associated structures.
Main Results:
- Vascular canals in the end-plate begin regressing in the first decade.
- "Scars" from these canals appear as nodular areas.
- By the third decade, disc herniation into these weak spots (Schmorl's nodes) is observed.
Conclusions:
- Persistent remnants of vascular canals create end-plate weak spots.
- These weak spots serve as a pathway for early intrabody nuclear herniations (Schmorl's nodes).
- Understanding this process is key to early detection and management of spinal conditions.