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Abstract #1243

Accurate measurement of intervertebral disc height loss demonstrates the threshold of major pathological changes during the course of degeneration

Joshua P. Jarman 1 , Dennis J. Maiman 2 , and L.Tugan Muftuler 3

1 Medical college of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States, 2 Department of Neurosurgery, Medical college of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States, 3 Department of Neurosurgery and Center for Imaging Research, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States

The etiology of intervertebral Disc (IVD) degeneration is still not completely understood. Degenerating discs begin to lose proteoglycans, which is a water retaining molecule. With the decrease in water, the discs lose their ability to resist compression and torque. Eventually the discs begin to lose height and structural integrity. The goal of this study was to quantify various pathological changes during the course of disc degeneration using MRI biomarkers. We proposed a method to quantify disc height loss with degeneration and suggested that the decrease in IVD height would correlate with other biomarkers of degeneration.

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