UTE MR Imaging of the Cartilaginous Endplate in the Lumbar Spine

腰椎软骨终板的 UTE MR 成像

• 批准号: 8274445
• 负责人: Won C Bae
• 金额: $ 12.02万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-07-01 至 2014-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8274445
• 关键词: Affect; Age; Aging; Appearance; Back Pain; Biochemical; Biological; Biological Assay; Biological Response Modifier Therapy; Biomechanics; Blood Vessels; Calcified; Calcium; Cartilage; Cell physiology; Cells; Chemicals; Chondroitin ABC Lyase; Contrast Media; Deposition; Disease; Early treatment; Edetic Acid; Etiology; Evaluation; Exhibits; Goals; Growth Factor; Histology; Homeostasis; Human; Image; Imaging Techniques; Immunohistochemistry; Implant; Intervertebral disc structure; Investigation; Lead; Liquid substance; Low Back Pain; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Matched Group; Morphology; Nutrient; Nutritional; Pathogenesis; Patient Selection; Patients; Perfusion; Play; Population; Preparation; Property; Public Health; Research; Role; Sampling; Signal Transduction; Structure; Symptoms; Techniques; Testing; Therapeutic; Thick; Time; Tissues; Vertebral column; base; bone; calcification; collagenase; intervertebral disk degeneration; novel; nutrition; patient population; vertebra body

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Degeneration of intervertebral discs is associated with low back pain, which affects a large proportion of the U.S. population. Treatments for back pain, such as therapeutics (e.g., growth factors) to alter cell function and biological implants aimed at modifying symptoms and the morphology of intervertebral discs are topics of active investigation at present. The cartilaginous endplate (CEP), which is a part of the intervertebral disc and is situated between the avascular disc proper and the bony vertebral body, plays an important role in the function and homeostasis of the disc. Vascular canals are found in calcified portions of the CEP and facilitate the supply of nutrients to the disc. Past studies have noted structural and compositional changes such as thinning and calcification of cartilage with aging and these may change the transport properties of the endplate. Such changes may lead to subsequent disc degeneration, and ultimately back pain. Additionally, hindered transport through the CEP may render biologic treatment options ineffective, if cells do not receive sufficient concentration of the active agent. Non-invasive evaluation of cartilaginous endplate, and its association with disc degeneration, is likely to be of critical importance in selecting patients for various treatments, as well as in understanding disc degeneration. The long-term goal of our study is to evaluate changes in the cartilaginous endplates of the disc using novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) approaches. The overall hypothesis is that ultra short time-to-echo (UTE) MR imaging will be sensitive to abnormal changes in structure, composition and transport properties of the cartilaginous endplate (CEP) of human spine, and that abnormalities will be associated with disc degeneration. The UTE sequence captures short T2 signals intrinsic to the CEP, parts of which are invisible using conventional sequences. I propose to perform UTE MRI on experimentally prepared CEP samples to determine the structural and compositional basis underlying the signal change, and use these findings to help understand signal changes seen in abnormal endplates. Transport properties of normal and abnormal cartilaginous endplates will be correlated with UTE MRI signals, to establish the functional basis of fluid transfer with and without loading. Lastly, the association between UTE MRI signals and disc degeneration will be assessed. The proposed research will provide a non-invasive means of evaluating disease of the cartilaginous endplates of human spines and increase our understanding of the relationship between UTE MRI appearances, endplate structure, composition, and function. This is likely to be useful for early intervention in treatment of disc degeneration and selection of patients suitable for biological therapy.

描述（由申请人提供）：椎间盘退变与腰痛相关，影响了很大一部分美国人群。治疗背痛的方法，如改变细胞功能的疗法（如生长因子）和旨在改变症状和椎间盘形态的生物植入物，是目前积极研究的主题。软骨终板（CEP）是椎间盘的一部分，位于无血管椎间盘和骨性椎体之间，对椎间盘的功能和内部平衡起着重要作用。在CEP钙化部分发现血管管，促进向椎间盘提供营养。过去的研究指出，随着年龄的增长，软骨变薄和钙化等结构和成分的变化可能会改变终板的运输特性。这些变化可能导致随后的椎间盘退变，最终导致背痛。此外，如果细胞没有获得足够浓度的活性剂，通过CEP的运输受阻可能会使生物治疗方案无效。无创评估软骨终板及其与椎间盘退变的关系，可能对选择各种治疗方法的患者以及了解椎间盘退变具有至关重要的意义。我们研究的长期目标是利用新型磁共振成像（MRI）方法评估椎间盘软骨终板的变化。总的假设是，超短时间回声（UTE） MR成像对人类脊柱软骨终板（CEP）的结构、组成和运输特性的异常变化敏感，并且异常与椎间盘退变有关。UTE序列捕获CEP固有的短T2信号，其中部分信号使用常规序列是不可见的。我建议对实验制备的CEP样品进行UTE MRI，以确定信号变化的结构和成分基础，并利用这些发现来帮助理解异常终板中所见的信号变化。正常和异常软骨终板的输运特性将与UTE MRI信号相关联，建立有载荷和无载荷流体输运的功能基础。最后，将评估UTE MRI信号与椎间盘退变之间的关系。本研究将提供一种评估人类脊柱软骨终板疾病的非侵入性方法，并增加我们对UTE MRI表现、终板结构、组成和功能之间关系的理解。这可能有助于椎间盘退变的早期干预治疗和选择适合生物治疗的患者。