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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Correlations between radiographic, magnetic resonance and histological examinations on the degeneration of human lumbar intervertebral discs

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Author(s):
Martins, Delio Eulalio [1] ; de Oliveira, Valdeci Manoel [2, 3] ; de Seixas Alves, Maria Teresa [4] ; Wajchenberg, Marcelo [1] ; Landim, Elcio [5, 6] ; Belloti, Joao Carlos ; Puertas, Eduardo Barros ; Ishida, Akira
Total Authors: 8
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Spine Grp, Dept Orthoped & Traumatol, Sao Paulo - Brazil
[2] UFJF, FCMS JF, Juiz De Fora, MG - Brazil
[3] UFJF, Sch Med, Juiz De Fora, MG - Brazil
[4] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Pathol, Sao Paulo - Brazil
[5] Fac Ciencias Med Santa Casa Sao Paulo, Dept Orthoped & Traumatol, Sao Paulo - Brazil
[6] AACD, Scoliosis Grp, Sao Paulo - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 6
Document type: Journal article
Source: São Paulo Medical Journal; v. 128, n. 2, p. 63-68, MAR 4 2010.
Web of Science Citations: 4
Abstract

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: There is controversy regarding which imaging method is best for identifying early degenerative alterations in intervertebral discs. No correlations between such methods and histological finds are presented in the literature. The aim of this study was to correlate the thickness of intervertebral discs measured on simple radiographs with the degree of degeneration seen on magnetic resonance images and the histological findings relating to nerve ends inside the discs. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional correlation study on the lumbar spines of human cadavers, at Universidade Federal de São Paulo (Unifesp), São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: Ten lumbar spinal columns were extracted from human cadavers and subjected to magnetic resonance imaging and simple radiography. They were classified according to the degree of disc degeneration seen on magnetic resonance, and the thickness of the discs was measured on radiographs. The intervertebral discs were then extracted, embedded in paraffin and analyzed immunohistochemically with protein S100, and the nerve fibers were counted and classified. RESULTS: No correlation was observed between the thickness of the intervertebral discs and the degree of degeneration seen on magnetic resonance images. Only the uppermost lumbar discs (L1/L2 and L2/L3) presented a correlation between their thickness and type I and IV nerve endings. CONCLUSION: Reduced disc thickness is unrelated to increased presence of nerve ends in intervertebral discs, or to the degree of disc degeneration. (AU)