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Quantitative chemical exchange saturation transfer MRI of intervertebral disc in a porcine model
Author(s) -
Zhou Zhengwei,
Bez Maxim,
Tawackoli Wafa,
Giaconi Joseph,
Sheyn Dmitriy,
de Mel Sandra,
Maya Marcel M.,
Pressman Barry D.,
Gazit Zulma,
Pelled Gadi,
Gazit Dan,
Li Debiao
Publication year - 2016
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.26457
Subject(s) - intervertebral disc , chemistry , in vivo , magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear magnetic resonance , sodium , magnetization transfer , biomedical engineering , anatomy , medicine , radiology , physics , microbiology and biotechnology , organic chemistry , biology
Purpose Previous studies have associated low pH in intervertebral discs (IVDs) with discogenic back pain. The purpose of this study was to determine whether quantitative CEST (qCEST) MRI can be used to detect pH changes in IVDs in vivo. Methods The exchange rate k sw between glycosaminoglycan (GAG) protons and water protons was determined from qCEST analysis. Its dependence on pH value was investigated in GAG phantoms with varying pH and concentrations. The relationship between k sw and pH was studied further in vivo in a porcine model on a 3T MR scanner and validated using a pH meter. Sodium lactate was injected into the IVDs to induce various pH values within the discs ranging from 5 to 7. Results Phantom and animal results revealed that k sw measured using qCEST MRI is highly correlated with pH level. In the animal studies, the relationship can be described as k sw =9.2 × 10 6 × 10 −pH + 196.9, R 2 = 0.7883. Conclusion The exchange rate between GAG and water protons determined from qCEST MRI is closely correlated with pH value. This technique has the potential to noninvasively measure pH in the IVDs of patients with discogenic pain. Magn Reson Med 76:1677–1683, 2016. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine