title: Antenatal differentiation of the human intervertebral disc.
abstract: To study the antenatal differentiation of the human intervertebral disc, the columns of forty eight embryos and fetuses were examined histologically. The primitive disc is composed of two structures: the notochord which shows a progressive expansion into the disc, and the fibro-cartilaginous perinotochordal disc. No histological sign of interaction between notochordal and perinotochordal cells, which may explain the notochordal expansion into the discs, was seen. On the other hand, the notochordal intervention in the cartilaginous differentiation of the inner zone is probable.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Radiologie ostéo-articulaire, Hôpital B, Lille, France.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cotten
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakka
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drizenko
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Clarisse
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Francke
mesh_terms: D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000196:embryology*