1. Cartilage Endplate Thickness Variation Measured by Ultrashort Echo-Time MRI Is Associated With Adjacent Disc Degeneration
- Author
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Berg-Johansen, Britta, Han, Misung, Fields, Aaron J, Liebenberg, Ellen C, Lim, Brandon J, Larson, Peder Ez, Gunduz-Demir, Cigdem, Kazakia, Galateia J, Krug, Roland, and Lotz, Jeffrey C
- Subjects
Biomedical and Clinical Sciences ,Clinical Sciences ,Neurosciences ,Clinical Research ,Biomedical Imaging ,Cartilage ,Echo-Planar Imaging ,Female ,Humans ,Intervertebral Disc Degeneration ,Lumbar Vertebrae ,Male ,Middle Aged ,cartilage endplate ,disc degeneration ,endplate thickness ,image processing algorithm ,image segmentation ,intervertebral disc ,low back pain ,lumbar spine ,Pfirrmann grade ,spatial variation ,T1rho ,ultrashort echo-time MRI ,Biomedical Engineering ,Orthopedics ,Clinical sciences ,Allied health and rehabilitation science - Abstract
Study designA magnetic resonance imaging study of human cadaver spines.ObjectiveTo investigate associations between cartilage endplate (CEP) thickness and disc degeneration.Summary of background dataDamage to the CEP is associated with spinal injury and back pain. However, CEP morphology and its association with disc degeneration have not been well characterized.MethodsTen lumbar motion segments with varying degrees of disc degeneration were harvested from six cadaveric spines and scanned with magnetic resonance imaging in the sagittal plane using a T2-weighted two-dimensional (2D) sequence, a three-dimensional (3D) ultrashort echo-time (UTE) imaging sequence, and a 3D T1ρ mapping sequence. CEP thicknesses were calculated from 3D UTE image data using a custom, automated algorithm, and these values were validated against histology measurements. Pfirrmann grades and T1ρ values in the disc were assessed and correlated with CEP thickness.ResultsThe mean CEP thickness calculated from UTE images was 0.74 ± 0.04 mm. Statistical comparisons between histology and UTE-derived measurements of CEP thickness showed significant agreement, with the mean difference not significantly different from zero (P = 0.32). Within-disc variation of T1ρ (standard deviation) was significantly lower for Pfirrmann grade 4 than Pfirrmann grade 3 (P
- Published
- 2018