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 5

Evaluation of NP area and Boos’ scoring for rabbit intervertebral discs (IVDs). 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. Untreated IVDs from two rabbits were used as an internal control. NP area (a) and Boos’ scoring (b) were determined for the different conditions at 0, 7, and 90 days as described in Materials and Methods. compared to control. Values are expressed as mean ± SEM.

(a)

(b)