Urban Jill P G, Roberts Sally
University Laboratory of Physiology, Oxford University, Oxford, UK.
Arthritis Res Ther. 2003;5(3):120-30. doi: 10.1186/ar629. Epub 2003 Mar 11.
The intervertebral disc is a cartilaginous structure that resembles articular cartilage in its biochemistry, but morphologically it is clearly different. It shows degenerative and ageing changes earlier than does any other connective tissue in the body. It is believed to be important clinically because there is an association of disc degeneration with back pain. Current treatments are predominantly conservative or, less commonly, surgical; in many cases there is no clear diagnosis and therapy is considered inadequate. New developments, such as genetic and biological approaches, may allow better diagnosis and treatments in the future.
椎间盘是一种软骨结构，其生物化学特性与关节软骨相似，但在形态上明显不同。它比身体其他任何结缔组织更早出现退行性和老化变化。人们认为它在临床上很重要，因为椎间盘退变与背痛有关。目前的治疗方法主要是保守治疗，较少情况下是手术治疗；在许多病例中，诊断不明确，治疗被认为不充分。基因和生物学方法等新进展可能会在未来带来更好的诊断和治疗。
