The Use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging for the Evaluation of the Porcine Intervertebral Disc Condition Under Treatment

One of the methods of evaluation of degenerative disc disease therapies’ effectiveness is the use of animal models and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), for the evaluation of the degree of damage and possible subsequent regeneration of intervertebral discs (IVDs). The purpose of our study was to propose the methodology that can be used for assessing the condition of the porcine IVDs based on scans obtained in MRI study. Our research is based on the MRI scans obtained for the purpose of evaluation of the process of IVDs regeneration after administration of mesenchymal stem cells isolated from bone marrow after the damage caused by the surgical laser vaporization. Proposed method of segmentation utilizes basic methods of digital image processing implemented with the use of Matlab environment. The outcome of the described method is binary mask giving direct information about locations of IVDs in MRI scans. We present the results of the IVD condition evaluation with the use of described method. We also present differences that may appear in the assessment of the same cases based on different cross-sections of the same MRI research. (1) The use of coronal imaging plane is recommended to use, as it can be indicated as more reliable than sagittal. (2) Use of the basic geometrical shapes as the discs’ shape approximation can lead to significant errors in the evaluation of the experiment results—the borders of IVDs should be determined using more complex shapes, i.e. considering the anatomy.