Cadaveric Thoracic Disc Herniation: Fine Architecture of the Prolapse and Relationship with the Posterior Longitudinal Ligament

Author Info

Han Zhang Jacob Bond Ming Zhang

Corresponding Author

Ming Zhang
Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

A B S T R A C T

Prolapse of a lower intervertebral thoracic disc (T10-11) was noticed in a cadaver following examination of serial plastinated sections of the spine. A number of structures were associated with the posteriorly herniated nucleus pulposus, including the posterior longitudinal ligament, fibrous meshworks, venous plexuses and a delicate surrounding capsule. Dimensions of the herniation suggest that the lesion was asymptomatic in life. Thoracic disc prolapse is a rare phenomenon in vivo and is even more infrequently seen in cadavers. This study adds to the minute body of literature on post-mortem thoracic disc herniation and provides insights into detailed pathological changes in the anatomy of surrounding structures following disc prolapse.

Article Info

Article Type

Case Report

Publication history

Received: Mon 02, Aug 2021
Accepted: Thu 26, Aug 2021
Published: Thu 09, Sep 2021

Copyright

© 2023 Ming Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Hosting by Science Repository.
DOI: 10.31487/j.SCR.2021.09.09