Longitudinal Comparison of Enzyme- and Laser-Treated Intervertebral Disc by MRI, X-Ray, and Histological Analyses Reveals Discrepancies in the Progression of Disc Degeneration: A Rabbit Study

Figure 3

Histological analysis of rabbit intervertebral discs (IVDs) using hematoxylin phloxine safran (HPS) staining. IVDs of 1-year-old rabbits were treated according to either the enzyme technique (enzyme) or the laser procedure (laser) as described in Materials and Methods. IVDs were processed for histological analysis at days 0 (untreated IVD from two rabbits as internal control) and 7 and 90 days after treatment as described in Materials and Methods. Representative hematoxylin phloxine safran is shown at days 0, 7, and 90. For clarity reasons and regarding similarities in follow-up, only the control at day 0 is illustrated. Bar: 5 mm for macroscopic section image and 500 μm for magnification image.

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