Sagittal Plane Geometry of Cervical, Thoracic, and Lumbar Endplates

Types of vertebral endplates (VEs) according to the morphology: (A) concave, (B) convex, (C) flat, and (D) irregular. In the flat type, the entire extension of the VE was contained in the line that joined the anterior and posterior corners of the vertebral body. In the concave type, the deepest part of the VE was located at least 1 mm deep in relation to the line that joined the anterior and posterior corners of the vertebral body. In the convex type, part of the plate was located at least 1 mm from the reference line. In the irregular type, the plate was at least one point above and one point below the reference line. The nomenclature describing the cranial and caudal VEs refers to the vertebral body. Cranial VEs are on the cranial side and the caudal endplates are on the caudal side of the vertebral body.