Matthew Fenty1, Catherine DeBrosse2, Rachelle Crescenzi2, Dawn Squillante3, Philip M. Maurer3, Dawn M. Elliott4, Ari Borthakur1
1CMROI, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States; 2Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States; 33B Orthopaedics, Philadelphia, PA, United States; 4Department of Bioengineering, University of Delaware, Wilmington, DE, United States
In this study, we use T1ρ as a quantitative biomarker to assess discs adjacent to surgically removed discs two years post-surgery. We further evaluate whether these changes in T1ρ were related to pre-surgical discography opening pressure or T2-MRI based Pfirrmann degenerative grades of the same adjacent discs. Pre-surgical opening pressure measurements of adjacent discs were significantly related to changes in T1ρ pre- and post-surgery.