Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is characterized by a progressive cascade of changes in organization and mechanical properties of annulus fibrosus (AF), nucleus pulposus (NP) and end plates (EP). Early diagnosis of disc degeneration is critical for the success of any biological treatment strategy. Currently, diagnosis of disc degeneration using clinical MRI only detects characteristics of advanced stages of degeneration. While new MR-based techniques (such as sodium imaging, magnetization transfer, T1r and T2 maps) quantify early changes in NP composition, tissue mechanical properties may be more sensitive than MR-base composition at detecting changes in the tissue microstructure. Magnetic Resonance Elastography is an MR-based technique to measure elastic properties of soft tissues that has been successfully used for the diagnosis of deceases that involve changes in the mechanical properties. The objective of this study is to apply Magnetic Resonance Elastography to measure elastic properties of the IVD from intact disc segment units and to correlate those properties with degeneration.
Related Publications
Cortes, D. H., Magland, J. F., Wright, A. C., & Elliott, D. M. (2014). The shear modulus of the nucleus pulposus measured using magnetic resonance elastography: a potential biomarker for intervertebral disc degeneration. Magnetic resonance in medicine, 72(1), 211-219. Download PDF file
Cortes, D. H., Jacobs, N. T., DeLucca, J. F., & Elliott, D. M. (2014). Elastic, permeability and swelling properties of human intervertebral disc tissues: A benchmark for tissue engineering. Journal of biomechanics, 47(9), 2088-2094. Download PDF file