Abstract
Objective. To understand the injury mechanism of the intervertebral disc at different loading
rates and to explore the anatomic and histological changes of intervertebral discs.
Design. Fresh porcine lumbar spines were used for fatigue testing to study the morphological
changes of the intervertebral disc.
Background. Intervertebral disc problem is one of the most common causes that lead to low back
pain. Slow repetitive loading was considered to be the critical factor of spine and
disc injuries.
Methods. Twenty-four lumbar functional units were subjected to cyclic loading at three different
loading rates. The geometric measurements and magnetic resonance image observations
were conducted for the comprehension of morphological changes. The detail observation
was taken through a stereomicroscope.
Results. There was no significance in geometric changes between different loading rates.
For magnetic resonance imagings, morphological changes included the changes of nucleus
pulposus shape, bulge of anterior and posterior longitudinal ligaments, and dehydration
in annulus fibrosus.
Conclusion. The morphological changes of intervertebral disc were revealed in certain kinds
of lesions. The results imply that fatigue failure and degeneration or instability
are strongly linked. The correlation of magnetic resonance imaging and anatomic observation
showed a high correspondence in the comparison of shape and position of the nucleus
pulpasus.Relevance
The changes of geometric measurements and relationship between anatomic observation
and magnetic resonance imaging finding had been analyzed. It could help in understanding
the mechanism of triggering cause in the early stage of disc degeneration.
Keywords
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© 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
