Morphometric and histological analysis of 'spondylosis deformans' of thoracic region in South-Indian cadaveric spines

Background: osteophyte is a bony outgrowth in the vertebral column. its high prevalence and clinical importance prompted us to conduct this study of thoracic osteophytes. aim and objectives: morphometric and histological study of thoracic osteophytes in the cadaveric vertebral column to understand their development,frequency of occurrence and distribution. material and methods: frequency of occurrence of osteophytes was studied in 50 cadavers of indian origin over a period of five years. the thoracic part of the vertebral columns were dissected and examined. the vertebral levels of osteophytes,their exact distribution,and morphometric measurements were recorded. a small piece of the osteophyte was removed,processed and stained with haemetoxylin & eosin [h & e] stains for histopathological examination. results: osteophytes were present in 7 specimens (14%). they were predominantly found on the right side of the lower thoracic vertebral bodies. h & e stained sections of the osteophytes showed features resembling a cancellous bone which strongly indicate that the osteophytes are in development stage,and they develop by the process of endochondral ossification. conclusion: we found a high incidence of thoracic osteophytes in our study,which mandates further studies in this regard. © journal of krishna institute of medical sciences university.