T1? MRI AS A QUANTITATIVE BIOMARKER OF DISC DEGENERATION IN VIVO

这个子项目是许多研究子项目中利用 资源由NIH/NCRR资助的中心拨款提供。子项目和 调查员(PI)可能从NIH的另一个来源获得了主要资金， 并因此可以在其他清晰的条目中表示。列出的机构是 该中心不一定是调查人员的机构。 退行性间盘疾病(DDD)在其早期阶段的部分原因是 IVD髓核(NP)蛋白多糖的丢失。退化的光盘最终会有 高度降低，但与正常情况下磁盘高度的变化相混淆 衰老。由T2 MRI确定的Pfirmann分级是目前确定椎间盘的金标准 退化。然而，这种方法依赖于主观观察者评分的形态特征 光盘。对椎间盘健康状况的定量评估对于选择治疗方案和 脊柱新技术发展中生物医学研究的未来。一个潜在的数量 退化的指标是开启压力(OP)，定义为注入液体的压力 首先克服内部渗透压，进入圆盘。然而，这种方法是侵入性的。 并依赖于患者对疼痛的感知。视盘高度比(DHR)，平均视盘高度 以椎间盘宽度归一化，可从常规MRI测量，并提供 疾病进展的衡量标准。T1？MRI的非侵入性技术在 比DHR更早客观地检测DDD，因为它对生化敏感 在椎间盘高度改变之前的组织改变。这项研究的目的是评估 T1？MRI可作为腰椎间盘退变的定量生物标志物。这些 在接下来的几年里，将对患者和其他仍被招募到这项研究中的人进行跟踪调查 以确定相邻非手术水平的NP T1的变化，从而评估 椎间盘退变的潜在进展

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Degenerative disc disease (DDD) of the intervertebral disc (IVD) in its early stage is caused in part by the loss of proteoglycan in the nucleus pulpous (NP) of the IVD. Degenerate discs eventually have decreased height but are confounded with changes that occur in disc height as a result of normal aging. The Pfirrmann grade determined from T2 MRI is currently the gold standard to determine disc degeneration. This method, however, relies on subjective observer-scored morphologic features of the disc. A quantitative assessment of disc health is essential for selection of treatment options and to the future of biomedical research in the development of new spine technologies. A potential quantitative indicator of degeneration is the opening pressure (OP), defined as the pressure where injected fluid first overcomes the internal osmotic pressure and enters the disc. However, this method is invasive and relies on the patient's perception of pain. The disc height ratio (DHR), the average disc height normalized by the width of the disc, can be measured from conventional MRI, and provides a measure of disease progression. The non-invasive technique of T1¿ MRI may be advantageous in objectively detecting DDD at an earlier stage than the DHR, since it is sensitive to biochemical changes in the tissue that precede disc height changes. The objective of this study is to evaluate T1¿ MRI as quantitative biomarker of disc degeneration in patients being treated for LBP. These patients, and others still being recruited to the study, will be followed over the next several years to determine the change in NP T1¿ of adjacent non-operative levels and thus evaluate for potential progression of disc degeneration