Monitoring of the effect of intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus ablation by MRI

作者：Saar Galit; Zilberman Yoram; Shinar Hadassah; Keinan Adamsky Keren; Pelled Gadi; Gazit Dan; Navon Gil^*

来源：NMR in Biomedicine, 2010, 23(6): 554-562.

DOI：10.1002/nbm.1493

• intervertebral disc
• MRI
• nucleus pulposus
• annulus fibrosus
• double quantum filtered MRI
• MTR maps

In order to investigate intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration and repair, a quantitative non-invasive tool is needed. Various MRI methods including qCPMG, which yields dipolar echo relaxation time (TOE), magnetization transfer contrast (MTC), and (1)H and (2)H double quantum filtered (DQF) MRI were used in the present work to monitor changes in rat IVD after ablation of the nucleus pulposus (NP), serving as a model of severe IVD degeneration. In the intact IVD, a clear distinction between the annulus fibrosus (AF) and the NP is obtained on T(2) and T(DE) weighted images as well as on MTC maps, reflecting the high concentration of ordered collagen fibers in the AF. After ablation of the NP, the distinction between the compartments is lost. T(2) and T(DE) relaxation times are short throughout the disc and MTC is high. (1)H and (2)H DQF signal, which in intact discs is obtained only for the AF, is now observable throughout the tissue. These results indicate that after ablation, there is an ingression of collagen fibers from the AF into the area that was previously occupied by the NP, as was confirmed by histology.

• 出版日期2010-7