The vertebral end-plate: what do we know?
The vertebral end-plate is critical for maintaining the health of the intervertebral disc. This paper reviews the literature that relates to end-plate structure and development and describes how disc integrity is affected by changes associated with pathology and aging. A range of studies, including biomechanical, biochemical, surgical and histological is discussed to illustrate the important role of the end-plate in spinal function.
Moore
R J
RJ
Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Department of Pathology, University of Adelaide, Australia. rob.moore@imvs.sa.gov.au
D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007403:Intervertebral Disc