Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Correlation between T2 relaxation time and intervertebral disk degeneration

  • Scientific Article
  • Published:
Skeletal Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objective

Magnetic resonance T2 mapping allows for the quantification of water and proteoglycan content within tissues and can be used to detect early cartilage abnormalities as well as to track the response to therapy. The goal of the present study was to use T2 mapping to quantify intervertebral disk water content according to the Pfirrmann classification.

Materials and methods

This study involved 60 subjects who underwent lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (a total of 300 lumbar disks). The degree of disk degeneration was assessed in the midsagittal section on T2-weighted images according to the Pfirrmann classification (grades I to V). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed among grades to determine the cut-off values.

Results

In the nucleus pulposus, T2 values tended to decrease with increasing grade, and there was a significant difference in T2 values between each grade from grades I to IV. However, there was no significant difference in T2 values in the anterior or posterior annulus fibrosus. T2 values according to disk degeneration level classification were as follows: grade I (>116.8 ms), grade II (92.7–116.7 ms), grade III (72.1–92.6 ms), grade IV (<72.0 ms).

Conclusion

T2 values decreased with increasing Pfirrmann classification grade in the nucleus pulposus, likely reflecting a decrease in proteoglycan and water content. Thus, T2 value-based measurements of intervertebral disk water content may be useful for future clinical research on degenerative disk diseases.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Andersson GB. Epidemiology of low back pain. Acta Orthop Scand Suppl. 1998;281:28–31.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Benneker LM, Heini PF, Anderson SE, Alini M, Ito K. Correlation of radiographic and MRI parameters to morphological and biochemical assessment of intervertebral disc degeneration. Eur Spine J. 2005;14(1):27–35.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Praemer A, Furner S, Rice DP, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Musculoskeletal conditions in the United States. 1st ed. Park Ridge, IL: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 1992

    Google Scholar 

  4. Paajanen H, Erkintalo M, Parkkola R, Salminen J, Kormano M. Age-dependent correlation of low-back pain and lumbar disc regeneration. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 1997;116(1–2):106–7.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Salminen JJ, Erkintalo MO, Pentti J, Oksanen A, Kormano MJ. Recurrent low back pain and early disc degeneration in the young. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1999;24(13):1316–21.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Weinstein JN, Gordon SL, Buckwalter JA, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Low back pain: a scientific and clinical overview. 1st ed. Rosemont, IL: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 1996

    Google Scholar 

  7. Hardy PA. Intervertebral disks on MR images: variation in signal intensity with the disk-to-magnetic field orientation. Radiology. 1996;200(1):143–7.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Ludescher B, Effelsberg J, Martirosian P, Steidle G, Markert B, Claussen C, et al. T2- and diffusion-maps reveal diurnal changes of intervertebral disc composition: an in vivo MRI study at 1.5 Tesla. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2008;28(1):252–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Nightingale T, MacKay A, Pearce RH, Whittall KP, Flak B. A model of unloaded human intervertebral disk based on NMR relaxation. Magn Reson Med. 2000;43(1):34–44.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Urban JP, McMullin JF. Swelling pressure of the lumbar intervertebral discs: influence of age, spinal level, composition, and degeneration. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1988;13(2):179–87.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Zou J, Yang H, Miyazaki M, Morishita Y, Wei F, McGovern S, et al. Dynamic bulging of intervertebral discs in the degenerative lumbar spine. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2009;34(23):2545–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Pfirrmann CW, Metzdorf A, Zanetti M, Hodler J, Boos N. Magnetic resonance classification of lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2001;26(17):1873–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Friedrich KM, Shepard T, de Oliveira VS, Wang L, Babb JS, Schweitzer M, et al. T2 measurements of cartilage in osteoarthritis patients with meniscal tears. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2009;193(5):W411–5.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Mosher TJ, Dardzinski BJ. Cartilage MRI T2 relaxation time mapping: overview and applications. Semin Musculoskelet Radiol. 2004;8(4):355–68.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Weidenbaum M, Foster RJ, Best BA, Saed-Nejad F, Nickoloff E, Newhouse J, et al. Correlating magnetic resonance imaging with the biochemical content of the normal human intervertebral disc. J Orthop Res. 1992;10(4):552–61.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Blumenkrantz G, Zuo J, Li X, Kornak J, Link TM, Majumdar S. In vivo 3.0-tesla magnetic resonance T1rho and T2 relaxation mapping in subjects with intervertebral disc degeneration and clinical symptoms. Magn Reson Med. 2010;63(5):1193–1200.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Karakida O, Ueda H, Ueda M, Miyasaka T. Diurnal T2 value changes in the lumbar intervertebral discs. Clin Radiol. 2003;58(5):389–92.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Perry J, Haughton V, Anderson PA, Wu Y, Fine J, Mistretta C. The value of T2 relaxation times to characterize lumbar intervertebral disks: preliminary results. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2006;27(2):337–42.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Boos N, Wallin A, Gbedegbegnon T, Aebi M, Boesch C. Quantitative MR imaging of lumbar intervertebral disks and vertebral bodies: influence of diurnal water content variations. Radiology. 1993;188(2):351–4.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Krueger EC, Perry JO, Wu Y, Haughton VM. Changes in T2 relaxation times associated with maturation of the human intervertebral disk. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2007;28(7):1237–41.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Chiu EJ, Newitt DC, Segal MR, Hu SS, Lotz JC, Majumdar S. Magnetic resonance imaging measurement of relaxation and water diffusion in the human lumbar intervertebral disc under compression in vitro. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2001;26(19):E437–44.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Gundry CR, Fritts HM. Magnetic resonance imaging of the musculoskeletal system. VIII. The spine, section 2. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1997;343:260–71.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Modic MT, Pavlicek W, Weinstein MA, Boumphrey F, Ngo F, Hardy R, et al. Magnetic resonance imaging of intervertebral disk disease. Clinical and pulse sequence considerations. Radiology. 1984;152(1):103–11.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Watanabe A, Benneker LM, Boesch C, Watanabe T, Obata T, Anderson SE. Classification of intervertebral disk degeneration with axial T2 mapping. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2007;189(4):936–42.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Marinelli NL, Haughton VM, Munoz A, Anderson PA. T2 relaxation times of intervertebral disc tissue correlated with water content and proteoglycan content. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2009;34(5):520–4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Marinelli NL, Haughton VM, Anderson PA. T2 Relaxation times correlated with stage of lumbar intervertebral disk degeneration and patient age. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2010;31(7):1278–82.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Sapporo Medical University, South-1, West-16, Chuo-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060–8543, Japan

    Hiroyuki Takashima, Tsuneo Takebayashi, Mitsunori Yoshimoto, Yoshinori Terashima, Hajime Tsuda, Kazunori Ida & Toshihiko Yamashita

Authors
  1. Hiroyuki Takashima
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tsuneo Takebayashi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mitsunori Yoshimoto
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yoshinori Terashima
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Hajime Tsuda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Kazunori Ida
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Toshihiko Yamashita
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tsuneo Takebayashi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Takashima, H., Takebayashi, T., Yoshimoto, M. et al. Correlation between T2 relaxation time and intervertebral disk degeneration. Skeletal Radiol 41, 163–167 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-011-1144-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-011-1144-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation