Abstract
Prolapse of a lower intervertebral thoracic disc (T10-11) was noticed in a cadaver following examination of serial plastinated sections of the spine. A number of structures were associated with the posteriorly herniated nucleus pulposus, including the posterior longitudinal ligament, fibrous meshworks, venous plexuses and a delicate surrounding capsule. Dimensions of the herniation suggest that the lesion was asymptomatic in life. Thoracic disc prolapse is a rare phenomenon in vivo and is even more infrequently seen in cadavers. This study adds to the minute body of literature on post-mortem thoracic disc herniation and provides insights into detailed pathological changes in the anatomy of surrounding structures following disc prolapse.
Highlights
Thoracic disc prolapse (TDP) entails protrusion of the central nucleus pulposus posteriorly out of the encircling annulus fibrosus
The main herniation and its capsule tapered between the posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) and dura around 10.2 mm superiorly up to the level of the middle third of the T10 vertebral body, which had a thickness of 27.2 mm (Figure 1B), and inferiorly about 3.4 mm down to the upper margin of the T11 vertebral body which had a thickness of 30.6 mm (Figure 1C). It is unknown whether any symptoms accompanied her thoracic disc herniation (TDH), the cadaveric case presented in this report was most likely asymptomatic because 1) the herniation was limited by the PLL along the posterior midline, 2) only about 10% of the nucleus was prolapsed, and 3) the spinal cord did not appear to be compressed
Despite TDH having a prevalence of 11-37% in asymptomatic patients and 7-15% in unselected cadavers, very few reports have described the fine fibrous architecture of the TDH and its relationship with the surrounding structures [7, 17, 27,28,29,30]
Summary
Thoracic disc prolapse (TDP) entails protrusion of the central nucleus pulposus posteriorly out of the encircling annulus fibrosus. Cadaveric Thoracic Disc Herniation: Fine Architecture of the Prolapse and Relationship with the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament Prolapse of a lower intervertebral thoracic disc (T10-11) was noticed in a cadaver following examination of serial plastinated sections of the spine.
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