Studies of the lumbar vertebral end-plate region in the pig.

The vertebral end-plates and the epiphyses from the lumbar region of the spine in juvenile pigs were studied. Cell density of the hyaline cartilage of the vertebral bodies was measured as well as cartilage thickness. The relative bone content in the region of the nucleus pulposus was calculated. A certain negative interrelationship between cartilage thickness and cell density of the hyaline cartilage of the vertebral bodies was found. The relative bone content of the cranial epiphysis was higher than that of the caudal epiphysis in the same motion segment at all levels of the lumbar spine. The difference was pronounced down to 2 mm from the cartilage/bone interface.