European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society
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Discography can increase disc degeneration, but the influence of different discography variables on the degeneration of discs has not been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of discography variables of needle diameter, type of contrast agent and volume of contrast agent on disc degeneration. ⋯ To reduce disc degeneration after discography, it may be best to choose a smaller needle size, minimize the use of contrast agent and use non-ionic contrast agents with osmotic pressure similar to the intervertebral disc. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.
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Our aim was to assess the microstructural changes of intervertebral disc degeneration induced by annulus needle puncture in rats by diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI). ⋯ DKI provides quantitative assessment of the microstructure changes of disc degeneration, and it is a non-invasive method. The DKI multi-parameter analysis is sensitive to discs changes caused by puncture. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.