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Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging in the assessment of degenerative disc disease
Author(s) -
Antoniou John,
Pike G. Bruce,
Steffen Thomas,
Baramki Hani,
Poole A. Robin,
Aebi Max,
Alini Mauro
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
magnetic resonance in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.696
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1522-2594
pISSN - 0740-3194
DOI - 10.1002/mrm.1910400616
Subject(s) - magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear magnetic resonance , nucleus , intervertebral disc , degeneration (medical) , matrix (chemical analysis) , magnetization transfer , degenerative disc disease , pathology , chemistry , structural integrity , intervertebral disk , degenerative disease , medicine , anatomy , neuroscience , biology , radiology , physics , disease , alternative medicine , structural engineering , chromatography , lumbar , engineering
Abstract Understanding degenerative intervertebral disc diseases hinges on the ability to objectively and noninvasively assess the disc matrix composition and integrity. The potential of quantitative magnetic resonance imaging to meet these demands was evaluated. Analyzing the T 1 and T 2 signal patterns in the nucleus pulposus with increasing Thompson morphological grade revealed a significant reduction related to grade. This significant decrease in T 1 and T 2 in the nucleus pulposus with grade 4 degeneration and the corresponding low correlation coefficients with respect to the content of individual matrix molecules suggest that matrix integrity plays an important and distinct role in determining T 1 and T 2 signal. Similarly, the significant increase in magnetization transfer in the nucleus pulposus observed in grade 4 degeneration did not correlate with the changes in molecular content in these highly degenerated discs. Again, this lack of correlation clearly indicates that the tissue integrity and matrix composition independently contribute to the magnetization transfer signal. This study presents the first clear evidence that quantitative magnetic resonance analysis reflects not only the disc matrix composition, but also the structural integrity of the matrix of the disc.