1H nuclear magnetic resonance study of intervertebral discs. A preliminary report

In vitro 1H pulse nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies on human intervertebral disc tissues were performed to establish the characteristics of relaxation processes. The spin-lattice relaxation time, bound water and dry matter content were measured. Biopsy material from fresh cadavers was taken from different discs along the spinal column and from different sectors of some single discs. It is suggested that the measured parameters correlate with the biomechanical behavior of discs, which in turn is influenced by function, by exposure to physical stresses, or by aging.