The Feasibility of Texture-based Quantification for Evaluating Lumbar Intervertebral Disc Degeneration in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis from Conventional T2-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Objective: To investigate the utility of texture data based on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in determining intervertebral disc degeneration in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). Materials and Methods: From October 2016 and March 2020, 122 patients with AIS and 40 volunteers who underwent 3.0T MRI were prospectively included. The following MRI texture data were generated: (1) mean, (2) standard deviation, (3) max, (4) min, (5) the fifth, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles; (6) skewness; (7) kurtosis; and (8) entropy. The Pfirrmann system was used to evaluate the intervertebral discs of all participants. Patients with Pm I were divided into groups 1 and 2. Volunteers were classified into 0. Differences and correlations between the groups were analyzed. Results: The mean, standard deviation, max, entropy and the 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles in group 2 were significantly lower than those in group 1 and group 0; the min in group 2 was significantly lower than in group 0; the skewness in group 2 was significantly higher than in group 1 and group 0; the kurtosis in group 2 was significantly lower than in group 1; the skewness in group 1 was significantly higher than in group 0 and the standard deviation, min, kurtosis and 5th, 10th, 25th, and 50th percentiles in group 1 were significantly lower than those in group 0. Conclusion: Texture analysis can be used to assess early degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs of patients with AIS.