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Abstract #1249

Pharmacokinetic analysis of DCE-MRI data from lumbar spine reveals pathologic changes in intervertebral disc endplates and subchondral bone

Volkan Emre Arpinar 1 , Dennis J Maiman 1 , and L Tugan Muftuler 1,2

1 Department of Neurosurgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, United States, 2 Center for Imaging Research, Medical College of Wisconsin, WI, United States

The majority of chronic back pain is associated with degeneration of the intervertebral discs. Despite comprehensive studies, there is no consensus on the mechanisms of pathological degeneration or how it should be distinguished from the normal aging processes. One of the causes of degeneration is believed to be poor nutrient transport to the disc through the endplates. In this study, Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MRI was used to investigate the relation between disc degeneration and aberrations in nutrient transport to the discs. A compartmental model with standard kinetic parameters was implemented to study perfusion in endplates and adjacent subchondral bones.

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