Deva D. Chan1, Safdar N. Khan2, Xiaojing Ye3, Shane B. Curtiss3, Munish C. Gupta2, Eric Klineberg2, Corey P. Neu1
1Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA; 2Orthopedic Surgery, University of California - Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA; 3Center for Tissue Regeneration and Repair, University of California - Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA
An intervertebral disc degeneration model in New Zealand white rabbit was characterized biochemically with delayed gadolinium enhanced MRI of cartilage (dGEMRIC) and mechanically with displacement-encoded stimulated echoes with fast spin echo readout (DENSE-FSE). Glucosaminoglycan content, as measured with dGEMRIC, was significantly decreased in degenerated discs, as expected and confirmed by histology. Deformations within the volume of the disc during cyclic compression demonstrated clear changes in mechanical behavior with degeneration.