MRI identifies biochemical alterations of intervertebral discs in patients with low back pain and radiculopathy.

Pulickal, Tina; Boos, Johannes; Konieczny, Markus; Sawicki, Lino Morris; Müller-Lutz, Anja; Bittersohl, Bernd; Gerß, Joachim; Eichner, Markus et al. · Eur Radiol · 2019

Level V

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Abstract

• Molecular intervertebral disc damage was associated with LBP and radiculopathy.• Patients with radiculopathy and LBP demonstrated a depletion of gagCEST values compared with healthy controls.• GagCEST imaging may be a non-invasive tool for investigation of degeneration processes of lumbar intervertebral discs (IVDs). GagCEST imaging may be an imaging biomarker for biochemical IVD alterations.

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