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Abstract #0536

T1ρ MRI and Discography Opening Pressure Are Quantitative Biomarkers of Disc Degeneration in Vivo

Matthew Fenty1, Chenyang Wang1, Walter RT Witschey1, Rachelle Berger1, Philip Maurer2, Dawn M. Elliott3, Ravinder Reddy1, Ari Borthakur1

1CMROI, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States; 23B Orthopaedics, Philadelphia, PA, United States; 3Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States


The objective of this study is to evaluate T1ρ MRI as quantitative biomarker of disc degeneration in patients being treated for Lower Back Pain (LBP) by comparing it to invasive discography opening pressure. A significant and strong correlation exists between non-invasive MRI T1ρ values and in vivo opening pressure measurements. T1ρ is a quantitative measure of degeneration that is consistent across both control subjects and LBP patients.