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.
Keywords