Radiographic and histologic changes after thoracolumbar disc curettage.

Forty-eight thoracolumbar disc spaces were approached by a dorsolateral muscle-separating technique in six mature dogs. Twenty-four of the discs were fenestrated and curetted, and the changes were followed radiographically and histologically for 16 weeks. Disc space collapse was visible radiographically immediately after the surgical procedure, and those disc spaces remained narrow throughout the observation period. Histologically, there was evidence of chondrocyte activation within 2 weeks in the excavated disc spaces. By 16 weeks, fibrocartilage had filled the void in the curetted disc spaces.