Abstract #1156

Intervertebral Disc Elastography: Physiological Strain, Stiffness, and Relaxometry in Axial Compression and Bending

Deva D. Chan^1,2, Paull C. Gossett², Robert L. Wilson³, Woong Kim², Yue Mei^4,5,6, Kent Butz², Nancy Emery⁷, Eric A. Nauman², Stéphane Avril⁶, and Corey P. Neu^2,3

¹Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, United States, ²Biomedical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States, ³Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States, ⁴Engineering Mechanics, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China, ⁵International Research Center for Computational Mechanics, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China, ⁶Center for Biomedical and Healthcare Engineering, MINES Saint-Étienne, Saint-Étienne, France, ⁷Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, United States

IVD degeneration is the most recognized cause of low back pain, characterized by the decline of tissue structure and mechanics. MRI relaxometry is one quantitative measure of IVD degeneration, yet MRI metrics of mechanics have not been fully explored. We quantified patterns of IVD strain and mechanics during physiological compression and bending. Strains patterns depended on the loading mode, and shear modulus in the nucleus pulposus was typically an order of magnitude lower than the annulus fibrosis, except in bending, where the apparent stiffness depended on the loading direction. Strain and material properties provide new possible biomarkers for IVD degeneration.

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