The document discusses the process of "bamboo spine" in ankylosing spondylitis. The outer fibers around the vertebrae are eroded and replaced by bony growths (syndesmophytes) through continued bone formation (ossification). This leads the syndesmophytes to grow and connect the adjacent vertebrae, forming a spine that resembles bamboo.
8. 8
The outer annular fibers are eroded and eventually replaced by bone
bony syndesmophytes, which then grows by continued enchondral
ossification, ultimately bridging the adjacent vertebral bodies =
bamboo spine.