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The structural basis of interlamellar cohesion in the intervertebral disc wall
Author(s) -
Pezowicz Celina A.,
Robertson Peter A.,
Broom Neil D.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of anatomy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.932
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1469-7580
pISSN - 0021-8782
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7580.2006.00536.x
Subject(s) - cohesion (chemistry) , materials science , concentric , annulus (botany) , composite material , geometry , chemistry , mathematics , organic chemistry
The purpose of this study was to investigate the structural mechanisms that create cohesion between the concentric lamellae comprising the disc annulus. Sections, 50–60 µm thick, were obtained using a carefully chosen cutting plane that incorporated the fibrous component in alternating lamellae as in‐plane and cross‐sectioned arrays. These sections were then subjected to microtensile stretching both across (radial) and along (tangential) the in‐plane fibre direction, in their fully hydrated state. Structural responses were studied by simultaneously viewing the sections using high‐resolution Nomarski interference contrast light microscopy. Additional bulk samples of annulus were fixed while held in a constant, radially stretched state in order to investigate the potential for interlamellar separation to occur in a state more representative of the intact disc wall. The study has provided a detailed picture of the structural architecture creating disc wall cohesion, revealing a complex hierarchy of interconnecting relationships within the disc wall, not previously described. Importantly, because our experimental approach offers a high‐resolution view of the response of the interlamellar junction to deformation in its fully hydrated condition, it is a potentially useful method for investigating subtle changes in junction cohesion resulting from both early degeneration and whole‐disc trauma.