Evaluation of Cartilaginous Endplate Degeneration Based on Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Abstract

In order to carry out the evaluation of cartilaginous endplate degeneration based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), this paper retrospectively analyzed the MRI data from 120 cases of patients who were diagnosed as lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration and underwent MRI examinations in the designated hospital of this study from June 2018 to June 2020. All cases underwent conventional sagittal and transverse T1WI and T2WI scans, and some cases were added with sagittal fat-suppression T2WI scans; then, the number of degenerative cartilaginous endplates and its ratio to degenerative lumbar intervertebral discs were counted and calculated, and the T1WI and T2WI signal characteristics of each degenerative cartilage endplate and its correlation with cartilaginous endplate degeneration were summarized, compared, and analyzed to evaluate the cartilaginous endplate degeneration by those magnetic resonance information. The study results show that there were 33 cases of cartilaginous endplate degeneration, accounting for 27.50% of all those 120 patients with lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration (54 degenerative endplates in total), including 9 cases with low T1WI and high T2WI signals, 5 cases with high T1WI and low T2WI signals, 12 cases with high and low mixed T1WI and high or mixed T2WI signals, and 4 cases with both low T1WI and T2WI signals. Therefore, MRI scanning can clearly present the abnormal signals of lumbar intervertebral disc and cartilaginous endplate degeneration, accurately identity their lesion locations, and type their degenerative characteristics, which may be best inspection method for the evaluation of cartilaginous endplate degeneration in the early diagnosis of intervertebral disc degeneration. The study results of this paper provide a reference for further researches on the evaluation of cartilaginous endplate degeneration based on magnetic resonance imaging.

A Review on Cartilaginous Endplates and the Degeneration of Intervertebral Disc

“…As per the study conducted earlier [21], the CEP undergoes natural, stress and damageinduced degeneration which has a heavy negative influence on weight bearing and its biochemical metabolism. The authors [34] opined that the Ca2+ content was found to be significantly higher in the CEP tissues that recorded disc degeneration.…”

“…As mentioned earlier, cytokines are accountable for activation as well as regulation of these MMPs and ADAMTS and also its subsequent effects [32]. With increasing age [21], the vertebral endplate blood vessels get reduced whereas the CEP gets ossified and undergoes local calcification, as a result of injury, inflammation. However, changes in the mechanical environment does not induce calcification in the CEP [33].…”

“…However, the modern medical imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), especially the ultra-short echo-time (UTE) MRI, helps in determining the CEP T2* relaxation times that can decode the glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content, water content, and collagen-to-GAG ratio in the Cartilaginous Endplates [20]. The authors, in literature [21], recommended that MRI scanning is an appropriate tool to accurately identify the degeneration of CEP, its lesion locations and the type of its degenerative characteristics.…”

“…According to [22,23], CEP primarily contains water (50-60%) [24], type II collagen and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). The CEP has cartilaginous hyaline which encompass the top of the bony endplate that is combined with the central part loosely [21]. In addition to the type II collagen, CEPs contain type X collagen too [25] as it acts as a marker for hypertrophic chondrocytes and involves in the calcification process.…”

Retracted: Evaluation of Cartilaginous Endplate Degeneration Based on Magnetic Resonance Imaging

“…Tis article has been retracted by Hindawi following an investigation undertaken by the publisher [1]. Tis investigation has uncovered evidence of one or more of the following indicators of systematic manipulation of the publication process:…”