Top

Published in:

01-12-2012 | Bone Quality Seminars: Subchondral Bone

Vertebral subchondral bone

Authors: C. Nguyen, S. Poiraudeau, F. Rannou

Published in: Osteoporosis International | Special Issue 8/2012

Abstract

Vertebral subchondral bone, also known as bony or osseous endplate, is an important anatomical part of the spine, including cartilage endplate and intervertebral disk. Vertebral subchondral bone plays a critical role in spinal function and maintenance of intervertebral disk health. Recent data suggest that some vertebral subchondral bone changes, detected by MRI and described as Modic changes, may be specifically associated with degenerative disk disease and chronic low back pain, and that these changes may be related to local inflammation. Thus, Modic changes may be a useful imaging biomarker to identify particular sub-groups of patients with chronic low back pain for whom a link between pathoanatomy, namely vertebral subchondral bone alterations, and pain can be established. Such identification may give rise to develop more specific therapies targeting, for example, inflammatory changes involving vertebral subchondral bone in Modic change-associated non-specific chronic low back pain.

Henrotin Y, Pesesse L, Sanchez C (2011) La dégénérescence discale est-elle une histoire d’ “Os”? Rev Rhum 78:3–7CrossRef

Moore RJ (2000) The vertebral end-plate: what do we know? Eur Spine J 9:92–96PubMedCrossRef

Moore RJ (2006) The vertebral endplate: disc degeneration, disc regeneration. Eur Spine J 15(Suppl 3):S333–S337PubMedCrossRef

Wang Y, Battie MC, Boyd SK, Videman T (2011) The osseous endplates in lumbar vertebrae: thickness, bone mineral density and their associations with age and disk degeneration. Bone 48:804–809PubMedCrossRef

Costi JJ, Hearn TC, Fazzalari NL (2002) The effect of hydration on the stiffness of intervertebral discs in an ovine model. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon) 17:446–455CrossRef

Roberts S, McCall IW, Menage J, Haddaway MJ, Eisenstein SM (1997) Does the thickness of the vertebral subchondral bone reflect the composition of the intervertebral disc? Eur Spine J 6:385–389PubMedCrossRef

Rodriguez AG, Rodriguez-Soto AE, Burghardt AJ, Berven S, Majumdar S, Lotz JC (2012) Morphology of the human vertebral endplate. J Orthop Res 30:280–287PubMedCrossRef

Thompson RE, Pearcy MJ, Downing KJ, Manthey BA, Parkinson IH, Fazzalari NL (2000) Disc lesions and the mechanics of the intervertebral joint complex. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 25:3026–3035CrossRef

de Roos A, Kressel H, Spritzer C, Dalinka M (1987) MR imaging of marrow changes adjacent to end plates in degenerative lumbar disk disease. AJR Am J Roentgenol 149:531–534PubMed

10.

Modic MT, Masaryk TJ, Ross JS, Carter JR (1988) Imaging of degenerative disk disease. Radiology 168:177–186PubMed

11.

Bernick S, Cailliet R (1982) Vertebral end-plate changes with aging of human vertebrae. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 7:97–102CrossRef

12.

Oda J, Tanaka H, Tsuzuki N (1988) Intervertebral disc changes with aging of human cervical vertebra. From the neonate to the eighties. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 13:1205–1211CrossRef

13.

Roberts S, Urban JP, Evans H, Eisenstein SM (1996) Transport properties of the human cartilage endplate in relation to its composition and calcification. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 21:415–420CrossRef

14.

Ferguson SJ, Steffen T (2003) Biomechanics of the aging spine. Eur Spine J 12(Suppl 2):S97–S103PubMedCrossRef

15.

Holmes AD, Hukins DW, Freemont AJ (1993) End-plate displacement during compression of lumbar vertebra-disc-vertebra segments and the mechanism of failure. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 18:128–135CrossRef

16.

Benneker LM, Heini PF, Alini M, Anderson SE, Ito K (2005) 2004 Young Investigator award winner: vertebral endplate marrow contact channel occlusions and intervertebral disc degeneration. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 30:167–173CrossRef

17.

Nachemson A, Lewin T, Maroudas A, Freeman MA (1970) In vitro diffusion of dye through the end-plates and the annulus fibrosus of human lumbar inter-vertebral discs. Acta Orthop Scand 41:589–607PubMedCrossRef

18.

Urban JP, Holm, S, Maroudas, A, Nachemson, A (1977) Nutrition of the intervertebral disk. An in vivo study of solute transport. Clin Orthop Relat Res (129):101–114

19.

Horner HA, Urban JP (2001) 2001 Volvo award winner in basic science studies: effect of nutrient supply on the viability of cells from the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 26:2543–2549CrossRef

20.

Roberts S, Caterson B, Evans H, Eisenstein SM (1994) Proteoglycan components of the intervertebral disc and cartilage endplate: an immunolocalization study of animal and human tissues. Histochem J 26:402–411PubMedCrossRef

21.

Kokkonen SM, Kurunlahti M, Tervonen O, Ilkko E, Vanharanta H (2002) Endplate degeneration observed on magnetic resonance imaging of the lumbar spine: correlation with pain provocation and disc changes observed on computed tomography diskography. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 27:2274–2278CrossRef

22.

Roberts S, Evans H, Trivedi J, Menage J (2006) Histology and pathology of the human intervertebral disc. J Bone Joint Surg Am 88(Suppl 2):10–14PubMedCrossRef

23.

Burke JG, Watson RW, McCormack D, Dowling FE, Walsh MG, Fitzpatrick JM (2002) Spontaneous production of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and interleukin-8 by the human lumbar intervertebral disc. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 27:1402–1407CrossRef

24.

Ohtori S, Inoue G, Ito T, Koshi T, Ozawa T, Doya H, Saito T, Moriya H, Takahashi K (2006) Tumor necrosis factor-immunoreactive cells and PGP 9.5-immunoreactive nerve fibers in vertebral endplates of patients with discogenic low back pain and Modic type 1 or type 2 changes on MRI. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 31:1026–1031CrossRef

25.

Karppinen J, Daavittila I, Solovieva S, Kuisma M, Taimela S, Natri A, Haapea M, Korpelainen R, Niinimaki J, Tervonen O, Ala-Kokko L, Mannikko M (2008) Genetic factors are associated with modic changes in endplates of lumbar vertebral bodies. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 33:1236–1241CrossRef

26.

Modic MT, Steinberg PM, Ross JS, Masaryk TJ, Carter JR (1988) Degenerative disk disease: assessment of changes in vertebral body marrow with MR imaging. Radiology 166:193–199PubMed

27.

Marshman LA, Trewhella M, Friesem T, Bhatia CK, Krishna M (2007) Reverse transformation of Modic type 2 changes to Modic type 1 changes during sustained chronic low-back pain severity. Report of two cases and review of the literature. J Neurosurg Spine 6:152–155PubMedCrossRef

28.

Albert HB, Kjaer P, Jensen TS, Sorensen JS, Bendix T, Manniche C (2008) Modic changes, possible causes and relation to low back pain. Med Hypotheses 70:361–368PubMedCrossRef

29.

Kjaer P, Leboeuf-Yde C, Korsholm L, Sorensen JS, Bendix T (2005) Magnetic resonance imaging and low back pain in adults: a diagnostic imaging study of 40-year-old men and women. Spine (Phila Pa 1976) 30:1173–1180CrossRef

30.

Albert HB, Manniche C (2007) Modic changes following lumbar disc herniation. Eur Spine J 16:977–982PubMedCrossRef

31.

Toyone T, Takahashi K, Kitahara H, Yamagata M, Murakami M, Moriya H (1994) Vertebral bone-marrow changes in degenerative lumbar disc disease. An MRI study of 74 patients with low back pain. J Bone Joint Surg Br 76:757–764PubMed

32.

Jensen TS, Karppinen J, Sorensen JS, Niinimaki J, Leboeuf-Yde C (2008) Vertebral endplate signal changes (Modic change): a systematic literature review of prevalence and association with non-specific low back pain. Eur Spine J 17:1407–1422PubMedCrossRef

33.

Burke JG, Watson RW, McCormack D, Dowling FE, Walsh MG, Fitzpatrick JM (2002) Intervertebral discs which cause low back pain secrete high levels of proinflammatory mediators. J Bone Joint Surg Br 84:196–201PubMedCrossRef

34.

Nguyen C, Bendeddouche I, Sanchez K, Jousse M, Papelard A, Feydy A, Revel M, Poiraudeau S, Rannou F (2010) Assessment of ankylosing spondylitis criteria in patients with chronic low back pain and vertebral endplate Modic I signal changes. J Rheumatol 37:2334–2339PubMedCrossRef

35.

Rannou F, Ouanes W, Boutron I, Lovisi B, Fayad F, Mace Y, Borderie D, Guerini H, Poiraudeau S, Revel M (2007) High-sensitivity C-reactive protein in chronic low back pain with vertebral end-plate Modic signal changes. Arthritis Rheum 57:1311–1315PubMedCrossRef

36.

Buttermann GR (2004) The effect of spinal steroid injections for degenerative disc disease. Spine J 4:495–505PubMedCrossRef

37.

Fayad F, Lefevre-Colau MM, Rannou F, Quintero N, Nys A, Mace Y, Poiraudeau S, Drape JL, Revel M (2007) Relation of inflammatory modic changes to intradiscal steroid injection outcome in chronic low back pain. Eur Spine J 16:925–931PubMedCrossRef

38.

Nguyen C, Bénichou M, Revel M, Poiraudeau S, Rannou F (2011) Association of accelerated switch from vertebral end-plate Modic I to Modic 0 signal changes with clinical benefit of intradiscal corticosteroid injection for chronic low back pain. Arthritis Rheum 63:2828–2831PubMedCrossRef

Title: Vertebral subchondral bone
Authors: C. Nguyen
S. Poiraudeau
F. Rannou
Publication date: 01-12-2012
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Published in: Osteoporosis International / Issue Special Issue 8/2012
Print ISSN: 0937-941X
Electronic ISSN: 1433-2965
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-012-2164-x

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Vertebral subchondral bone

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Special Issue 8/2012

Why subchondral bone in osteoarthritis? The importance of the cartilage bone interface in osteoarthritis

Impact of treatments for osteoporosis on osteoarthritis progression

Impact of treatments for osteoporosis on cartilage biomarkers in humans

CT imaging for the investigation of subchondral bone in knee osteoarthritis

Animal models in OA: a means to explore bone

MRI in OA: from cartilage to bone marrow lesion