Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is an imaging technique that can non-invasively assess shear properties of intervertebral discs (IVD), a potential biomarker for disease. This study validated the use of a spin echo-echo planar imaging (SE-EPI) sequence for MRE of the IVD compared against the standard gradient recalled echo (GRE) sequence. Volunteers were scanned with the GRE and two variants of the SE-EPI sequence: SE-EPI with breath holds (SE-EPI-BH) and SE-EPI with free breathing (SE-EPI-FB). SE-EPI-based MRE-derived stiffnesses are highly reproducible and repeatable and correlate with current standard GRE MRE-derived stiffness estimates while reducing scan times and potentially improving patient compliance.
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