Studies on the Permeability of the Intervertebral Disc During Skeletal Maturation

Abstract

A method for determining the permeability of the rabbit intervertebral disc to fluorescein and formation of a suitable index are presented. A significant decrease in the index with aging was found in both sexes; however, male discs were significantly less permeable than female discs in all ages tested. The decrease in permeability of the disc matrix is thought to be important with respect to the onset of disc degeneration.