Abstract
Samples of ligamenta flava were obtained after surgical operations from 50 patients with a lumbar disc herniation, another 50 patients with a lumbar canal stenosis, and 25 patients with spinal fractures who were used as control group. Ligamenta flava from control patients aged below 46 years consisted of large elastic fibers, thin bundles of collagen fibers, and few spindle-shaped fibroblast cells. In close proximity to the laminal insertion, the ligamentum flavum had fibrocartilagineous features. in the control patients who were aged 46 or older, the areas that had fewer and thinner elastic fibers and a more abundant collagen component were visible occasionally. The spindle-shaped fibroblast cells were fewer compared with control patients aged below 46 years. Also remnants of necrotic cells and few, short, thin, interwoven, fragmented, non-branching elastic fibers, as well as small calcified areas, were occasionally visible. In close proximity to the laminal insertion, the ligamentum flavum had larger fibrocartilaginous features with more collagen fibers compared with younger patients. In patients with disc herniation, the ligamenta flava had nearly similar morphologic features to those of the control patients of similar ages. The ligamenta flava from patients with lumbar spinal stenosis aged below 46 years showed areas of fibrosis in which the cells were often represented by fibroblast cells and in stenotic patients older than 46 years, central portion of ligamentum flavum showed areas of fibrosis, in which the elastic fibers appear normal in some areas, showed little changes in others and in most of these areas showed great changes. Fibrous septa, degenerating elastic fibers as well as small calcified areas were observed often. In conclusion, Lumbar ligamentum flavum as any tissue in human body undergo degenerative changes during aging. In lumbar canal stenosis, the degenerative changes were more obvious compared with normal spine or lumbar disc herniation. In stenotic patients, ligamenta flava show a significant decrease in the elastic component as a result of fibrosis and chondroid metaplasia of the tissue, as well as degeneration of the elastic fibers. These changes, and the presence of calcified areas within the tissue, decrease the elasticity of the ligaments. An elastic tissue can be deformed under traction and gradually return to its normal size, proportional to the decrease of the elastic tension. Ligamenta flava do not normally bulge into the spinal canal when spine is in the neutral position.
Highlights
In the last decades, several studies have analyzed the microscopic morphology of ligamenta flava
Summary: Ligamenta flava from control patients aged below 46 years consisted of large elastic fibers, thin bundles of collagen fibers, and few spindle-shaped fibroblast cells
In close proximity to the laminal insertion, the ligamentum flavum had larger fibrocartilaginous features with more collagen fibers compared with younger. 2-Disc herniation: A-Ligamentum flavum in patients with disc herniation aged below 46 years Ligamenta flava from patients with a herniated disc showed similar structural changes to those of the ligamenta flava from control patients of similar ages
Summary
Several studies have analyzed the microscopic morphology of ligamenta flava. The second investigation[6] analyzed, at histological and histochemical levels, ligamenta flava from patients with lumbar canal stenosis or degenerative spondylolisthesis, using as a control, the ligamentum flavum of a teenager patients. The scarcity of information on the microscopic features of human ligamenta flava in degenerative spinal diseases is surprising, because these ligaments have been implicated often in the pathogenesis of degenerative condition of the spine, lumbar spinal stenosis[7,8,9]. The third investigation analyzed at histological, histochemical, and transmission electron microscopic study, the morphologic features of ligamenta flava in patients with lumbar disc herniation and spinal stenosis. In the present histological microscopic study, we analyzed the morphologic features of ligamenta flava in patients with lumbar disc herniation and lumbar spinal stenosis. Materials and Methods This descriptive study was conducted in Basrah province from Iraq in 2003
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
