Association between visual degeneration of intervertebral discs and the apparent diffusion coefficient

MR Imaging Assessment of Lumbar Intervertebral Disk Degeneration and Age-Related Changes: Apparent Diffusion Coefficient versus T2 Quantitation

“…In the present study, mean ADC values in the inner portion of disks were close to those reported in studies by Kealey et al 24 and Niinimäki et al, 8 who used the sagittal plane for diffusionweighted imaging and b-values of 400 and 500 s/mm 2 , respectively. However, our measurement of mean ADC in normal disks was higher than those previously reported by Kurunlahti Ϫ3 to 1.60 ϫ 10 Ϫ3 mm 2 /s in the x, y, and z directions.…”

“…Moreover, ADC values decreased with the increase of the Pfirrmann grade and age in our study. These are in disagreement with the study by Niinimäki et al 8 In that study, only disk levels L3-L4, L4-L5, and L5-S1 were analyzed in middle-aged men; Pfirrmann grade I disks were not observed and grade II disks were, in a consensus reading, reclassified as grade III. 8 Therefore, the discrepancies may be attributed to the different study populations, different sampling of disk levels, and different grading criteria.…”

“…3 Investigators have reported several IVDD classification systems based on sagittal T2WI, [5][6][7] among which the Pfirrmann scoring system is widely used as an accredited standard in both research and preliminary clinical applications. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] It is a subjective rating system and can provide a semiquantitative assessment of IVDD in vivo. 8,[12][13][14] For further quantitative evaluation of IVDD based on the biochemical changes in disks, several MR imaging techniques have been developed.…”

“…[8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] It is a subjective rating system and can provide a semiquantitative assessment of IVDD in vivo. 8,[12][13][14] For further quantitative evaluation of IVDD based on the biochemical changes in disks, several MR imaging techniques have been developed. They include dynamic contrast MR imaging, 9 magnetization transfer imaging, 16 T1 measurement, 17 T2 measurement, niques aim to quantitatively detect early degenerative changes in the matrix content of intervertebral disks.…”

“…[23][24][25] Moreover, the signal intensity of T2WI in the disk was found to correlate with the ADC values. 8 The quantitative T2 has been reported to reflect the molecular environment in the disk, which consists of water, proteins, fat, collagen, and other solutes. Increased disk water or glycosaminoglycan content, the primary component of proteoglycan, is associated with increased T2, whereas increased collagen content contributes to decreased T2.…”