Calcification of the intervertebral disks in childhood.

Calcification of the intervertebral disks generally has been considered a degenerative disease of adults. Schmorl (19), whose extensive studies on this subject are recognized as fundamental, believed disk calcification to be a degenerative process of no clinical significance. It was described more recently, by de Lorimier (6) only in relation to “senescent spinal osteoarthropathy.” Other investigators, however, have discovered radiographically demonstrable calcification of the disks in association with local clinical symptoms (1, 11, 13, 18, 23) and with systemic disease (I 6). Calcification of the intervertebral disks is said to be very uncommon in children. Cohen and his associates (4), in 1949, could find only 6 earlier case reports. These included the case of Weens (23) and 5 cases from the foreign literature abstracted in his report. In all of these 6 cases there were clinical signs referable to the areas in which calcification was observed. A similar case, in an eleven-year old girl, is included in ...

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