[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Anatomy](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/) › [Spine](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/region/spine/) › Endplates [Skeletal system](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/system/skeletal-system/) · [Spine](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/region/spine/) # Endplates The endplates are thin layers of cartilage and bone capping each vertebral body; they hold the disc and let nutrients reach it. Official name: Vertebral endplates [See in 3D →](https://durgical.app/?from=durgipedia&lang=en#region=spine&select=endplates&side=r) Opens in the Durgical app, no sign-up needed. ## What it is Thin layers of cartilage and bone that cap the top and bottom of each vertebral body, against the discs. ## What it does Hold the disc in place and let nutrients pass into the disc, which has almost no blood supply of its own. ## Key points - Weakest link of the vertebra–disc unit under axial load: in compression the endplate usually cracks before the annulus fibrosus fails - With age the cartilage endplate calcifies and its capillary supply falls, cutting diffusion to the disc; this is linked to disc degeneration - Modic changes on MRI: type 1 oedema (dark T1, bright T2), type 2 fatty marrow (bright T1 and T2), type 3 sclerosis (dark on both) - Scheuermann disease: multiple Schmorl nodes and irregular endplates with wedging of three or more adjacent thoracic vertebrae ## Key facts **Where** Upper and lower surfaces of each vertebral body against the disc: cartilage endplate over a thin bony endplate, inside the ring apophysis **Attaches** Inner annulus fibrosus fibres anchor in the cartilage endplate; outer annulus fibres anchor in the bony ring apophysis **Function** Hold the disc to the bone; main route of nutrient diffusion into the avascular disc; weak spot where nucleus herniates into the body (Schmorl node) ## Relations **Superficial** Disc side: the nucleus pulposus and the inner annulus fibrosus of the adjacent intervertebral disc **Deep** Cancellous bone of the vertebral body with its marrow and the capillary loops that feed the disc by diffusion **Lateral** The ring apophysis around the rim, and outside it the [anterior longitudinal ligament](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/anterior-longitudinal-ligament/) in front and the [posterior longitudinal ligament](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/posterior-longitudinal-ligament/) behind ## On imaging MRI shows the endplate as a dark line and Modic changes in the marrow beside it. Radiographs and CT show Schmorl nodes as rounded defects with a sclerotic rim. In spondylodiscitis the endplates on both sides of a disc are eroded and the disc is bright on T2, which helps tell infection from Modic type 1. ## Common problems - Small cracks or bone-marrow changes next to a worn disc (Modic changes) that can be linked to back pain. - Schmorl's nodes: the disc pushes into the vertebral body through the endplate. ## How it is diagnosed MRI shows endplate changes; X-ray or CT shows Schmorl's nodes. ## Treatment - Usually treated like back pain in general. In a fusion, the surgeon scrapes the disc off the endplates so the bone graft can grow across. ## Clinical notes - Spondylodiscitis in adults usually seeds the vascular bone next to the endplate and spreads across the disc to the next body - Osteoporotic compression fractures usually begin as endplate fractures, often of the upper endplate - Modic type 1 changes have been associated with low back pain more often than other types, although the link is debated ## Anatomical variants - Cupid's bow contour: a smooth, paired concavity of the lower endplates of the lower lumbar vertebrae, seen on frontal films and CT, is a normal variant and is not a fracture ## Development The ring apophysis ossifies from secondary centres around puberty and fuses with the body in early adulthood; before fusion the nucleus can herniate under it and lift off a small triangular corner (limbus vertebra), which can mimic a fracture. ## Memory aid Modic 1-2-3: wet (oedema), fat, hard (sclerosis). ## Related conditions - [Osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/osteoporotic-vertebral-compression-fracture/) - [Ankylosing spondylitis](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/ankylosing-spondylitis/) - [Vertebral osteomyelitis](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/vertebral-osteomyelitis/) ## Test yourself Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it. ## Under axial compression, which usually fails first: the vertebral endplate or the annulus fibrosus? The endplate usually cracks first; it is the weakest link of the vertebra–disc unit, and osteoporotic compression fractures often begin there. ## How do Modic types 1, 2 and 3 of the vertebral endplates look on MRI? Type 1 oedema (dark T1, bright T2), type 2 fatty marrow (bright T1 and T2), type 3 sclerosis (dark on both). ## What is a Schmorl node of the vertebral endplate? Herniation of the nucleus pulposus through the endplate into the vertebral body, seen as a rounded defect with a sclerotic rim. ## Why is calcification of the cartilage endplate with age linked to disc degeneration? The endplate is the main route of nutrient diffusion into the avascular disc; calcification and falling capillary supply cut that diffusion. [Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/anatomy/vertebral-endplates/) Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional. ## Its names **Official Latin (TA2)** facies intervertebralis TA2 1013 **Official Spanish (DeCS)** Platillos vertebrales **English (TA2)** Vertebral endplates ## Related - [L4–L5 disc](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/l4-l5/) - [C5–C6 disc](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/c5-c6/) - [Axis (C2)](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/axis/) - [C3 vertebra](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/cervical-vertebrae/) - [C4 vertebra](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/c4/) - [C5 vertebra](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/c5/) - [C6 vertebra](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/c6/) - [C7 vertebra](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/vertebra-prominens/) Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); [Anatomy, Back, Intervertebral Discs](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470583/). ## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake Representative model, for educational purposes only. --- Source: https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/vertebral-endplates/ License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/vertebral-endplates/