Five cases of pathological fractures are outlined, in which the changes shown by x-ray were found to indicate the decalcification of the vertebral bodies and enlargement of the intervertebral discs.
This enlargement is believed to be due to a hypertrophy of the cellular elements of the discs, rather than to expansion of the nucleus pulposus.
The occurrence of these enlarged discs in an x-ray of a spine is indicative of impairment of the integrity of the spine.
Pathological fractures may occur in vertebral bodies without local disease, as the result of faulty metabolism.