Degenerative cervical spine. Sequence of 3D magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sagittal scans showing the internal structure in the neck of a patient with degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine. In this vertical view from the side, the front of the body is at left, with the spine down centre, and the base of the brain partially seen at top. The sequence moves through the neck from one side to the other, with the backbone, vertebrae (grey blocks), intervertebral discs (dark grey), cerebrospinal fluid (white), and spinal cord (grey) clearly visible in the middle of the sequence. The visible indications of this disease (visible mid-clip) are degenerative disc bulges and bony overgrowth (osteophyte formation) at the edges of the vertebrae. These combine to indent the spinal cord between the C3/4 and C6/7 vertebral levels (centre).