Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research ›› 2011, Vol. 15 ›› Issue (9): 1611-1614.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-8225.2011.09.022

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Dynamic contrast-enhanced scanning of nucleus pulposus of adult goat: Quantitative observation of enhancement degree and nutrition state of intervertebral discs

Du Heng1, Guan Min2, Ma Shao-hui2, Han Bo3, Yang Guang-fu3, Zhang Ming2, Liu Miao1   

  1. 1Department of Orthopaedics, 2Department of Medical Imaging, the First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’an  710061, Shaanxi Province, China; 3Department of Radiology, Xi’an Gaoxin Hospital, Xi'an  710061, Shaanxi Province, China
  • Received:2010-10-15 Revised:2010-12-18 Online:2011-02-26 Published:2011-02-26
  • About author:Du Heng☆, Studying for doctorate, Attending physician, Department of Medical Imaging, the First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, Shaanxi Province, China duheng18@yahoo.com.cn
  • Supported by:

    the Science and Technology Plan of Shaanxi Province in 2007, No. 2007k14-1*

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Abstract:

BACKGROUND: The reduction of nutrient substances has been considered to be the main factor, which leads to the ultimate way to disc degeneration. Numerous studies have shown that nutrition of intervertebral disc is mainly obtained through endplate, and there is close relationship between the cataplasia of endplate and that of intervertebral disc. Dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI scans as a non-invasive, repeatable method that has been used to study nutrition mechanism disc.
OBJECTIVE: To quantitatively analyze the characteristics of enhancement of nucleus pulpous of adult goat lumbar discs.
METHODS: Eight 24-month-old goats, weighing 38 kg and 50 kg, were selected, a total of 32 lumbar inter-vertebral discs were included. After anesthesia for goats, we observed the signal changes of regions of interest by using T1-TSE-SPIR, T2WI-TSE-SPAIR and dynamic enhanced magnetic resonance scan. On the point of time before enhancement and 0 minute, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, 1.5 hours, 2 hours, 2.5 hours, 3 hours, 3.5 hours and 4 hours after enhancement, the enhancement of nucleus pulposus was calculated and the time-enhancement ratio curve was used to analyze the perfusion characteristics.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The nucleus pulposus exhibited no obvious increase within 10 minutes and began to increase quickly at 30 minutes and achieved its peak enhancement at 3.5 hours, after which was the plateau stage. The time-enhancement ratio curve of nucleus pulposus is distinctive, which encourages more researches to explore the mechanism of nutrition.

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