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Two Severely Degenerated Cervical Spinal
Segments
Midsagittal section
focused on two severely degenerated cervical spinal segments (C4–5
and C5–6) in a middle aged woman who had sustained a significant
"whiplash–type" neck distortion in a rear–end collision accident
twelve years before her demise. The discs above and below had a
normal macroscopic appearance. At C4–C5 the disc is completely
resorbed and the endplates are sclerotic. The disc space is occupied
by gelatinous slightly hemorrhagic tissue. Posteriorly, endplate
ridges project into the spinal canal. At the C5–C6 level the
anterior portion of the disc is reasonably intact whereas the
central and posterior portions are liquefied. In the upper endplate
of C6 two large Schmorl's nodes communicate through defects of the
bony endplate with the disc space. Note also the anterior endplate
flanges which causes the normally trapezoid sagittal cross section
of the cervical spinal vertebra to assume the shape of an
hour–glass. This closeup section shows the arrangement of the
cancellous bony trabeculae and the
dark grey bone marrow
compartments. |
©2000 Wolfgang Rauschning, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Clinical Anatomy
Academic
University Hospital
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Uppsala, Sweden
Reproduction without permission is prohibited
http://www.akademiska.se/
