Abstract
A comprehensive radiographic and pathological investigation of > 1000 postmortem spinal specimens was conducted and many examples of calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal deposition disease (CPPD/CDD) was documented in a variety of vertebral structures, including not only the intervertebral disc but also the apophyseal and sacroiliac joints, posterior longitudinal ligament, interspinous and supraspinous ligaments, ligamentum flavum, interosseous sacroiliac ligament, transverse atlas ligament and posterior median atlanto-axial joint. Such crystal accumulation supports previous reports of abnormal calcification and structural damage on radiographs of the axial skeleton in patients with CPPD/CDD and may explain not only the associated spinal symptoms and signs but also spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis and atlanto-axial subluxation.

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit: