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Clinical Article
Quantitative MR imaging study of association between lumbar vertebral endplate Modic changes and intervertebral disc degeneration
GONG Jing-shan  MEI Dong-dong  ZHU Jin  ZHOU Yang-yang 

DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2017.07.007.


[Abstract] Objective: To investigate the relationship between vertebral endplate Modical changes and adjacent intervertebral disc degeneration.Materials and Methods: Lumbar structure and quantitative MR images of 66 patients were retrospectively analyzed. Disc degeneration was semi-quantitatively assessed using Pfirrmann grading system and quantitatively assessed using T2 and T2* values. Association between Pfirrmann scores, T2 and T2* values of intervertebral discs with adjacent endplate Modic changes was analyzed.Results: Nineteen intervertebral discs with adjacent endplate Modic changes were detected in fourteen patients (14/66, 21.2%), which included 2 discs with Modic type I changes and 17 discs with type 2 changes. Pfirrmann scores of the discs adjacent to normal endplates, Modic type 1 endplates and Modic type 2 endplates were 2.40±0.96、4±1.41 and 4.12±1.27, respectively. T2 values were (95.38±51.88) ms, (70.50±36.06) ms and (58.65± 38.47) ms. T2* values were (34.43±19.16) ms, (24.00±1.41) ms and (28.65±23.00) ms. The differences of disc Pfirrmann scores, T2 and T2* values among different endplate changes were statistical significant with P values of 0.000, 0.000 and 0.023, respectively. Comparing to discs adjacent to normal endplates, discs adjacent to Modic type 2 endplates had severe degeneration with increased Pfirrmann scores and decreased T2 and T2* values. The differences were statistical significant (P values were 0.000, 0.000 and 0.006, respectively).Conclusions: Modic changes of vertebral endplate are associated with adjacent intervertebral disc degeneration. Both of them should be regarded as a facet of the "whole-organ" pathologic conditions in the procession of spinal degeneration.
[Keywords] Intervertebral disc degeneration;Lumbar vertebrae;Magnetic resonance imaging

GONG Jing-shan Department of Radiology, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, the Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen 518020, China

MEI Dong-dong Department of Radiology, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, the Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen 518020, China

ZHU Jin Department of Radiology, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, the Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen 518020, China

ZHOU Yang-yang Department of Radiology, Shenzhen People’s Hospital, the Second Clinical Medical College of Jinan University, Shenzhen 518020, China

*Correspondence to: Gong JS, E-mail: jshgong@sina.com

Conflicts of interest   None.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS  This work was supported by Shenzhen Science & Technology Program No. JCYJ2014041622811967
Received  2017-04-13
Accepted  2017-05-03
DOI: 10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2017.07.007
DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2017.07.007.

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