Fig. 7
From: Degenerative changes of the canine cervical spine after discectomy procedures, an in vivo study
Alcian Blue stained slides of the AF under polarized light (×4). a Healthy disc, the AF is organized in a multilamellar structure. The lamellae (black star) are composed of parallel aligned fibers and are therefore birefringent (bright) under polarized light. They alternate in their orientation resulting in alternating birefringence. b Dorsal annulus of a discectomy disc. Tissue lost its multilamellar organization. The Annular fibers lost their organization and parallel alignment indicated by lost in birefringent behavior under polarized light