Collagen Composition and Content-Dependent Contrast in Porcine Annulus Fibrosus Using Double-Quantum Filtering Combined with Magnetization-Transfer and UTE MRI

Uzi Eliav¹, Michal E. Komlosh², Peter J. Basser², Gil Navon¹

The combined double quantum (DQ) filtering and magnetization transfer (DQF-MT) and Ultra-Short TE (UTE) MRI (DQF-MT/UTE) pulse sequence was applied for the study of the annulus fibrosus in porcine intervertebral disc (IVD). It was shown that unlike the UTE that gives the same intensity throughout the tissue the intensity in the DQF-MT/UTE image declines from the outer layers towards the inner ones (closer to the nucleus pulposus). The latter result was interpreted as a combined effect of the declined concentration of collagen and the ratio of collagen type I to type II going from the outer into the inner layers.