ANATOMIA PATOLOGICA DEL DISCO CERVICALE

The intervertebral disc shows regressive and degenerative changes with time, thus compromising the anatomic and functional integrity of the cervical spine. Initial lesions can appear during the third decade of life, with an extremely high prevalence in the population during middle and advanced age. Degenerative changes involve both the nucleus polposus and the anulus fibrosus, and are associated with the formation of marginal osteophytes; they are also strictly correlated to degeneration of the cartilagineous end-plate of the adjacent vertebral bodies. In most advanced stages the normal discal components are no longer recognizable, with the disc being represented by fragments of fibrocartilage interposed between calcified or ossified areas. The numerous studies designed to clarify the relationship between normal aging processes and degeneration have not led to the detection of specific biochemical or morphological changes which could characterize the two phenomena.