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Abstract #1120

In Vivo MRI of the Cartilaginous Endplate of the Intervertebral Disc

Sung M. Moon1,2, Jon H. Yoder1, Dawn M. Elliott1, Felix W. Wehrli2, Alexander C. Wright2

1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; 2Laboratory for Structural NMR Imaing, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, United States


Cartilaginous endplate of the intervertebral disc is a thin layer of hyaline cartilage, provides a mechanical barrier and a nutritional conduit between the vertebral bone and the disc. With age and degeneration, the CEP becomes thinner, calcifies, and may have reduced porosity. In this study, we have used a 3D FLASH sequence to visualize the CEP, first in specimens and then in volunteers, in order to assess the feasibility of MRI characterization of the CEP for in-vivo studies of disc degeneration.