Evaluation of Water Retention in Lumbar Intervertebral Disks Before and After Exercise Stress With T2 Mapping

Abstract

3.

The importance of level stratification for quantitative MR studies of lumbar intervertebral discs: a cross-sectional analysis in 101 healthy adults

“…However, the most existing quantitative MRI studies are based on small cohorts with divergent methodology, thus limiting comparison between studies. T2-mapping studies on lumbar IVDs of asymptomatic individuals have been conducted on cohorts ranging between 5 and 30 individuals [3,4,6,7,17,18,26], and similar studies on LBP patients are based on cohorts between 10 and 60 individuals [6, 8-11, 13-16, 25]. Hoppe et al performed axial T2* mapping in 93 patients, but did not report any level specific data [15].…”

“…Quantitative MRI techniques, such as T2-mapping, show promise to reflect both structural and functional IVD characteristics non-invasively [2][3][4][5]. It has been established that T2-relaxation times provide continuous and objective grading of degeneration, with reduced T2-relaxation times correlating well with increased grade of degeneration [6][7][8].…”

“…Numerous studies regarding quantitative MRI and lumbar IVD data exist; however, the majority are based on small cohorts and include divergent methodology, such as different IVD segmentation methods and the use of either axial or sagittal sequencing [3,4,6,[8][9][10][13][14][15][16][17][18], thus limiting comparison between studies. Further, variation between different motion segments can be expected due to natural IVD size and loading angles [19].…”

“…Despite this, no study has, in a standardized manner in a large cohort, elucidated whether and how quantitative MRI data vary depending on at what lumbar level the IVD is located, neither in an asymptomatic nor in a symptomatic cohort. Some studies have reported level-dependent T2-time differences, including studies investigating the impact of load on T2-time [2][3][4]11]. However, these studies have been based on small cohorts, so their results should be interpreted with caution.…”

Imaging in Spine Surgery: Current Concepts and Future Directions

“…Studies have demonstrated that quantitative MRI can differentiate between signals in herniated discs and annular tears when compared with disks without gross abnormalities. [72][73][74] Similarly, Samartzis et al 75) demonstrated the potential applicability of sodium MRI in identification of intervertebral discs associated with low back pain. More recently, evidence surrounding other sequences has gained additional clinical utility, as UTE MRI has led to the description of the "UTE Disk Sign," a finding represented by a hyperintense or hypointense band across a degenerative disk associated with chronic low back pain and disability.…”