A morphological and histological study of the postnatal development of intervertebral discs in the lumbar spine of the rabbit

Some basic features in the development of the structure of the annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus in the rabbit, as described by previous workers, have been confirmed in the present study. However, the greater thickness of the anterior part of the disc, as compared with the posterior region, and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of anatomy 1980-01, Vol.130 (Pt 1), p.75-81
Main Authors: Scott, N A, Harris, P F, Bagnall, K M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Female
Intervertebral Disc - anatomy & histology
Intervertebral Disc - growth & development
Lumbar Vertebrae - diagnostic imaging
Male
Rabbits
Radiography
Staining and Labeling
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Description
Summary:Some basic features in the development of the structure of the annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus in the rabbit, as described by previous workers, have been confirmed in the present study. However, the greater thickness of the anterior part of the disc, as compared with the posterior region, and the distinctive arrangement of lamellae in the posterior part of the disc, cannot be attributed, as conventionally claimed from studies of the human spine, to a secondary curvature in the lumbar spine associated with an upright posture: for these features are present in the lumbar spine of the quadrupedal rabbit with its primary curvature. Secondary ossification produces a plate-like epiphysis separating the growth cartilage from the intervertebral disc. A distinct cartilaginous plate, limiting the nucleus pulposus in the rabbit intervertebral disc, only becomes apparent when collagen fibres cease to traverse the area above and below the nucleus pulposus.
ISSN:0021-8782
1469-7580