ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish a new animal model of resorption of lumbar disc herniation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty 3-month-old Sprague Dawley (SD) male rats were randomly divided into experimental group and control group. The caudal discs of the experimental rats were surgically removed and were implanted in the epidural. The animals were killed at 30 days, and the implanted nucleus pulposus were took out for HE staining,flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. In the control group, coils were implanted in the back muscles, and the animals were killed at 30 days after the operation for the above test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the experimental group, immunohistochemical staining of TNF-alpha, VEGF were positive at 30 days. The Th cells and B cells in the experimental group were more than that in the control group with statistically significant differences.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The model can well reveal the re-absorption process the of the ruptured disc, and provide a new re-absorption disc animal model for the further study.</p>