MR imaging of the intervertebral disc: a quantitative study

Abstract

The T1 and T2 relaxation times and the proton density of the nucleus pulposus have been measured in 107 normal and 18 surgically proven degenerate intervertebral discs. Data from total saturation recovery and spin echo sequences have been utilised in a robust multi-point method and relaxation times and proton density calculated. The results show that both the T1 and T2 values of the normal nucleus pulposus decrease with age. There was no significant correlation between proton density and age in normal discs. At all ages there was a highly significant difference between the T1 values of normal and degenerate discs. With T2 a highly significant difference in the younger age groups reduced to no distinction in the seventh decade. The observed change in the T1 and T2 values of the nucleus is in agreement with the reduction of water content known to occur with age. Our results indicate that quantitative MR imaging may assist in the diagnosis of intervertebral disc degeneration.

T2 Relaxation Times Correlated with Stage of Lumbar Intervertebral Disk Degeneration and Patient Age

“…5,6 The decrease in T2 relaxation times with the stage of degeneration is associated with a decrease in water and glycosaminoglycan content in the disk. [15][16][17] The inverse correlation of T2 relaxation time in the disk and patient age has been reported by Jenkins et al 18 and Watanabe et al 14 We found a similar inverse correlation between age and relaxation time for grade II disks. In our study, the average T2 relaxation time decreased progressively by decades except for those in their 50s, probably due to small sample sizes.…”

Changes in T2 Relaxation Times Associated with Maturation of the Human Intervertebral Disk

“…In general, the T2 relaxation times that we measured agreed well with those in previous studies. In one published study, the average T2 relaxation time for disks in a group between 11 and 20 years old was 114 ms. 15 In a group of adults between 28 and 38 years old, T2 relaxation times in normal-appearing disks averaged 84.7 ms. 12 Kerttula et al 16 described mean T2 relaxation times for volunteers aged 8 -22 years to be 80 ms. It was not reported how their region of interest was selected, and it has been shown that the selection of a region of interest is a significant variable when T2 relaxation times are measured.…”

“…An MR-based method for estimating water content in the intervertebral disk has been described 11 and applied to the study of disk degeneration. [12][13][14][15][16] With multi-echo sequences, T2 relaxation times can be calculated from the change in signal intensity as a function of echo time (TE). The purpose of this study was to measure disk T2 relaxation times in young subjects and compare relaxation times in the first and second decades of life.…”

MRI histogram analysis enables objective and continuous classification of intervertebral disc degeneration

“…Qualitative grading of IVD degeneration is confined by subjective interpretation and limit degeneration classification to non-continuous grades. MRI sequences, enabling direct quantification of T1q and T2 relaxation time, have been developed and have showed promise for tissue characterization of the IVD [10][11][12].…”