The MRI Research Of Cervical Intervertebral Disc Degeneration And Endplate Modic Degeneration

Objective:To evaluate the distribution of Modic changes of cervical endplate in patients suffering cervical pain or radiculopathy and its related factorsMethods:Between January 2006 and July 2006,638 patients were considered suitable for the evaluation, including 350 male and 288 female cervical tumor and inflamation patients are precluded, from 11 to 86 years old, the average age is 46.72-year-old in male and 46.59-year-old in female. Two separate doctors studied degeneration changes of the intervertebral discs and endplate by evaluating the grade of disc degeneration and endplate degeneration from loss of signal intensity, disc protrusion, narrowing of the disc space and loss of signal intensity of the endplate on MRI.Results:3828 inter-vertebral discs from C2-3 to C7T1 were evaluated, we found that grade three and four degeneration of intervertebral discs were of the predominant grade, and C5-6 were the most severe segment, which is the same in male and female. Herniation of cervical inter-vertebral disc were most likely to occur in C5-6. Endplate degeneration were found 10.5% of all the patients, grade two degeneration of endplate was the most to be found in patients about 40 to 69 years old. In patients with endplate degeneration, cervical inter-vertebral disc degeneration with grade three or four were always found, meanwhile,cervical disc herniation were likely to be found in patients with endplate degeneration.Conclusion:Cervical inter-vertibral disc degeneration is a phsiological process.The frequency of all degenerative findings increase after 20-year-old,and the lower cervical inter-vertebral discs are likely to be involved, especially in C5-6. Endplate degeneration was found in 10.5% of all subjects ,in which the grade of disc degeneration is severe. Our result shows the coherence between cervical disc degeneration and cervical endplate degeneration.