Comprehensive assessment of in vivo lumbar spine intervertebral discs using a 3D adiabatic T1ρ prepared ultrashort echo time (UTE-Adiab-T1ρ) pulse sequence

BACKGROUNDT1ρ has been extensively reported as a sensitive biomarker of biochemical changes in the nucleus pulposus (NP) and annulus fibrosis of intervertebral discs (IVDs). However, no T1ρ study of cartilaginous endplates (CEPs) has yet been reported because the relatively long echo times (TEs) of...

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Published in:Quantitative imaging in medicine and surgery 2022-01, Vol.12 (1), p.269-280
Main Authors: Wei, Zhao, Lombardi, Alecio F., Lee, Roland R., Wallace, Mark, Masuda, Koichi, Chang, Eric Y., Du, Jiang, Bydder, Graeme M., Yang, Wenhui, Ma, Ya-Jun
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:BACKGROUNDT1ρ has been extensively reported as a sensitive biomarker of biochemical changes in the nucleus pulposus (NP) and annulus fibrosis of intervertebral discs (IVDs). However, no T1ρ study of cartilaginous endplates (CEPs) has yet been reported because the relatively long echo times (TEs) of conventional clinical T1ρ sequences cannot effectively capture the fast-decaying magnetic resonance signals of CEPs, which have very short T2/T2*s. This can be overcome by using ultrashort echo time (UTE) T1ρ acquisitions. METHODSSeventeen subjects underwent UTE with adiabatic T1ρ preparation (UTE-Adiab-T1ρ) and T2-weighted fast spin echo imaging of their lumbar spines. Each IVD was manually segmented into seven regions (i.e., outer anterior annulus fibrosis, inner anterior annulus fibrosis, outer posterior annulus fibrosis, inner posterior annulus fibrosis, superior CEP, inferior CEP, and NP). T1ρ values of these sub-regions were correlated with IVD modified Pfirrmann grades and subjects' ages. In addition, T1ρ values were compared in subjects with and without low back pain (LBP). RESULTSCorrelations of T1ρ values of the outer posterior annulus fibrosis, superior CEP, inferior CEP, and NP with modified Pfirrmann grades were significant (P
ISSN:2223-4292
2223-4306
DOI:10.21037/qims-21-308