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Abstract #2473

Ex Vivo Mapping of Sodium T 1 and T2* Relaxation Times in Human Lumbar Intervertebral Discs at 7 Tesla

Stefan Zbn1, Sebastian Apprich1, Vladimir Juras1, Pavol Szomolanyi1, Sonja M. Walzer2, Xeni Deligianni3, Hannes Traxler4, Oliver Bieri3, Siegfried Trattnig1

1MR Center of Excellence, Department of Radiology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; 2Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; 3Division of Radiological Physics, Department of Radiology, University of Basel Hospital, Basel, Switzerland; 4Center for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Department of Applied Anatomy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Previous studies on 23Na relaxation times in the intervertebral discs (IVD) reported different values. In this study, we employed novel gradient-echo sequence with variable echo time scheme at 7T for the ex vivo measurements of T1, T2*, fast (T2*F) and slow (T2*S) components of biexponential transversal relaxation times in human lumbar IVDs with different degree of degeneration. Our results suggesting shorter relaxation times in IVDs with higher degree of degeneration compared to less degenerated IVDs. Presented findings may provide the basis for quantification of 23Na content in human IVDs and could help to understand processes associated with degeneration of IVDs.

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