Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
T1ρ and T2 mapping have been developed to quantitively assess intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration by quantifying proteoglycan and water content, respectively. In addition, magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) has been validated to quantify shear stiffness. This study determines how water content affects MRI relaxation times and MRE-derived mechanical properties. Our results showed that hydration has an influence on T1ρ and T2 relaxation times and MRE-derived shear stiffnesses and that there is a correlation between relaxation times and shear stiffnesses. This highlights MRI as a non-invasive technique to quantify tissue composition and mechanical properties to assess degenerative changes within the IVD.
Co et al. (Wed,) studied this question.