THE CARTILAGE END-PLATE AND INTERVERTEBRAL DISC IN SCOLIOSIS - CALCIFICATION AND OTHER SEQUELAE

The morphology and composition of the intervertebral disc and also of the cartilage end-plate were studied in patients with idiopathic or co ngenital scoliosis. The cartilage end-plate was investigated because o f its function as an epiphyseal plate in humans and the association be tween growth and progression of the scoliotic curve. The proteoglycan and water contents were reduced in both structures in specimens from s coliotic patients, particularly toward the concavity of the curve, com pared with autopsy material. The distribution of some collagen types d iffered in tissue from scoliotic patients and autopsy tissue. Calcific ation of the cartilage end-plate, and sometimes of the adjacent disc, occurred in all but three scoliotic patients, whereas there was minima l calcification in the autopsy specimens. We suggest that, although th ese changes are probably a secondary response to altered loading in th e scoliotic patients, they may be highly significant to the progressio n of the scoliotic curve.