Experimental cervical spondylosis in the mouse.

A reproducible experimental model of cervical spondylosis in mice was established by means of detachment of the posterior paravertebral muscles from the vertebrae and resection of the spinous processes along with the supraspinous and interspinous ligaments. Mechanical instability in the cervical spine elicited by this surgical intervention accelerated the process of intervertebral disc degeneration, and when extended over a 6-12-month period, induced cervical spondylosis in the mice. The pathologic findings in the cervical intervertebral discs of this experimental model varied: proliferation of cartilaginous tissue and fissures in the anulus fibrosus, shrinkage of the nucleus pulposus, herniation of disc material, and osteophyte formation. The availability of this experimental model should be valuable for biochemical and biomechanical understanding of the pathogenesis of cervical spondylosis.