Distribution of MR Signal Intensity Within the Intervertebral Disc: Modifications Occurring with Adolescent Spondylolisthesis and Idiopathic Scoliosis

Delphine Pri^1,2, Marjorie Riopel-Methot^1,2, Ariane Courville-LeBouyonnec^1,2, Daniel Curnier³

A retrospective study had been performed on T2-weighted MR images of twenty nine patients with spondylolisthesis and/or scoliosis. New parameters characterising the distribution of the MR signal intensity within the nucleus zone of the lumbar intervertebral disc were proposed and their quantification revealed modifications attributed to the disease and its level. Future developments will consist in a 3D analysis that will be applied to quantitative MR mapping of relaxation times, magnetization transfer or diffusion parameters within the intervertebral discs of patients suffering from a specific disease.