The intrinsic vasculature of developing vertebral end plates and its nutritive significance to the intervertebral discs.

The structure and anatomical relationships of cartilage canals in the developing vertebral endplates of rabbits and humans are described in this study. In newborn rabbits, we observed a similar morphology and topologic arrangement to that in human fetal spines. Each vascular organ consisted of an arteriole, a glomerular tuft of sinusoidal capillaries, recurrent venules, and supporting loose connective tissue. Because the canals terminate adjacent to the intervertebral discs, they may provide an important source of nutrition to the disc during development when it is sandwiched between two layers of thick hyaline cartilage and contains no intrinsic vascular supply.