Hon Yu1, Shadfar Bahri1, Lutfi
Tugan Muftuler1, Orhan Nalcioglu1, Vance Gardner2
1Center for Functional Onco-Imaging,
University of California, Irvine, CA, United States; 2Orthopaedic
Education and Research Institute of Southern California, Orange, CA, United
States
Measurement
of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) was investigated as means for in-vivo
assessment of the degenerative states in lumbar discs. Pfirrmann grading,
currently only-accepted means to assess disc-degeneration in vivo based on
morphology, was utilized along with the signal-intensity ratio of disc to
cerebral spinal fluid in T2w to classify the discs beyond the 5-level grades afforded
by Pfirrmann grading and then to compare with the measured ADC values. The
results indicate a strong negative linear correlation between the ADC values
and the degenerative grades of discs demonstrating the potential value of ADC
as means for in-vivo assessment of disc-degeneration.