The intervertebral disc is characterized by a tension-resisting annulus fibrosus and a
compression-resisting nucleus pulposus composed largely of proteoglycan. Both the
annulus and the nucleus function in concert to provide the disc with mechanical stability.
Early disc degeneration begins in the nucleus with proteoglycan depletion. Quantitative
magnetic resonance imaging techniques have been developed to noninvasively quantify the
earliest degenerative changes that occur within the disc. Our ability to identify and quantify …