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Study Design.

A magnetic resonance imaging study of human cadaver spines.

Objective.

To investigate associations between cartilage endplate (CEP) thickness and disc degeneration.

Summary of Background Data.

Damage to the CEP is associated with spinal injury and back pain. However, CEP morphology and its association with disc degeneration have not been well characterized.

Methods.

Ten lumbar motion segments with varying degrees of disc degeneration were harvested from six cadaveric spines and scanned with magnetic resonance imaging in the sagittal plane using a T 2-weighted two-dimensional (2D) sequence, a three-dimensional (3D) ultrashort echo-time (UTE) imaging sequence, and a 3D T 1ρ mapping sequence. CEP thicknesses were calculated from 3D UTE image data using a custom, automated algorithm, and these values were validated against histology measurements. Pfirrmann grades …