Abstract
One hundred and twenty-eight cervical discs obtained from 30 autopsied subjects were examined morphologically. The cervical degenerative process was divided into five stages: (i) The initial stage — characterized by the disappearance and calcification of cells of the cartilagenous plate; (ii) the early stage — characterized by vessel invasion and formation of a calcification front; (iii) the progressive stage — characterized by progressive degenerative changes in all disc components; (iv) the late stage — characterized by destruction of the cartilagenous plates; and (v) the terminal stage — characterized by eburnation of the bony end-plate. The cervical spine has three main differences from other regions of the spine: a large range of motion, the capacity for frequent and rapid movements, and the presence of Luschka's joint. Each of these three features is related to cervical disc degeneration.
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