Abstract #1120

In Vivo MRI of the Cartilaginous Endplate of the Intervertebral Disc

Sung M. Moon^1,2, 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.