CASE HISTORY

This man had suffered from generalised osteo-arthritis and spondylitis for years. His right hip was ankylosed and his spine was rigid throughout though it was nearly straight. Other joints showed osteo-arthritis but were relatively mobile. From a study of the radiographs it was suggested that the spinal lesion was secondary to the ankylosed hip. The patient finally died of peritonitis.

PATHOLOGY

The specimen consists of the anterior parts of the bodies of the lumbar vertebrae. These have been macerated to expose the bony changes. There is a little flattening of the vertebrae from above downwards and slight irregularity in their thickness from one side to the other. The striking change, however, is the presence of osteophytic outgrowths at the upper and lower margins of the bodies. Several of these pairs of osteophytes are in contact with each other and their fibrous union caused extreme rigidity during life. There is however, no real bony ankylosis between the bodies and the ligamentum flavum was not calcified.