Quantifying Vertebral Endplate Degeneration Using the Concavity Index

Details

• Personal Author:
  Barim MS ; Capanoglu MF ; Davis GA ; Gallagher S ; Schall MC Jr. ; Sesek RF ; Sun W
• Description:
  A novel morphometric measurement of endplate degradation was compared with qualitative ratings of intervertebral disc degeneration (Pfirrmann Grading) in a double-blinded study to investigate a new, quantitative method for relating disc morphology and bony changes using MR imaging techniques known as the "Concavity Index" (CI). By adding a quantitative measure of vertebral endplate degeneration, the CI could provide further insight into structural changes related to disc breakdown and subsequent low back pain. The continuous nature of the CI may also allow medical professionals to more closely monitor a patient's low back health. T2-weighted MRI scans of the sagittal profile of the lumbar endplates (L2-S1) were collected from 50 subjects (25 females and 25 males) whose ages ranged from 20-40 years. Three trained examiners independently measured the height and the concavity levels of each lumbar vertebrae (L2-S1) as well as assessed the health of the intervertebral discs using Pfirrmann's lumbar disc degeneration grading method. Concavity Indices (CIs) were computed by dividing measured concavity level by disc height (CL/DH). A larger CI was hypothesized to be indicative of spinal degradation and subsequent low back pain. Intra- and inter-rater reliabilities were assessed for both the CI measurements and Pfirrmann's lumbar disc degeneration grades. The categorical intra-observer agreement for Pfirrmann ratings ranged from 26 to 63%. However, the CI, which is a continuous measure, varied by only 2% (average absolute error) among raters. Endplate concavity is indicative of fracturing and damage and is hypothesized to lead to subsequent disc degeneration due to impediment of nutrient flow to the discs themselves. The CI shows promise as a means for potentially quantifying low back health and identifying risk for future low back pain prior to significant disc degeneration. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Biomechanical Phenomena Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Vertebrae Degeneration Biomechanics Concavity Index Imaging Techniques Low Back Pain Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI Pfirrmann Grading
• ISBN:
  9783319960821
• ISSN:
  2194-5357
• Publisher:
  Springer
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Alabama ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  820
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20068840
• Citation:
  Proceedings of the 20th Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2018): Volume III: Musculoskeletal Disorders, (Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing). Bagnara S, Tartaglia R, Albolino S, Alexander T, Fujita Y, eds. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2018 Aug; 820:734-741
• Contact Point Address:
  Menekse Salar Barim, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Research Fellow, Cincinnati, OH, 45202, USA
• Email:
  mzs0053@auburn.edu
• Editor(s):
  Bagnara S; Tartaglia R; Albolino S; Alexander T; Fujita Y
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of the 20th Congress of the International Ergonomics Association (IEA 2018): Volume III: Musculoskeletal Disorders, (Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing)
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:dcc062486a962bbb0677e4b792e6b37701fb5fe5839c3b10466e80efbab9776f013c3272b1695da75c46e29e250b7724a8ba97983f3ab0568ee1042286541922
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/207414/cdc_207414_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.06 MB ]