Exactly corresponding magnetic resonance (MR) images and anatomic sections were obtained of cadaveric lumbar intervertebral disks. MR differentiated two major components of the intervertebral disk, one corresponding to the collagenous fibers in the periphery of the disk, the other corresponding to the combination of nucleus and annulus. The vertebral osseous end plate appears to be faintly resolved, but may be simulated by a chemical shift artifact. More correlative studies and development of additional techniques are needed to characterize completely the MR appearance of the intervertebral disks.