Assessment of glycosaminoglycan content in intervertebral discs of patients with leg length discrepancy: A pilot study

David Latz; Miriam Frenken; Erik Schiffner; Maxime Knautz; Wolfgang Alois Quante; Joachim Windolf; Jan Peter Grassmann; Pascal Jungbluth; Christoph Schleich

doi:10.1016/j.jor.2019.03.014

Assessment of glycosaminoglycan content in intervertebral discs of patients with leg length discrepancy: A pilot study

J Orthop. 2019 Apr 8;16(5):363-367. doi: 10.1016/j.jor.2019.03.014. eCollection 2019 Sep-Oct.

Authors

David Latz¹, Miriam Frenken², Erik Schiffner¹, Maxime Knautz², Wolfgang Alois Quante¹, Joachim Windolf¹, Jan Peter Grassmann¹, Pascal Jungbluth¹, Christoph Schleich²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Trauma and Hand Surgery, University Hospital, Moorenstrasse 5, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany.
² Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, D-40225, Dusseldorf, Germany.

Abstract

Objective: Leg length discrepancy (LLD) could be a predisposing factor for early degeneration of lumbar intervertebral discs (IVD). The purpose of this study was to elucidate the molecular effect of LLD on IVDs.

Methods: IVDs of Eleven patients (25.6 ± 4.3years) with LLD (>10 mm) and 14 control subjects (23.9 ± 3.5years) were compared using a 3T-MR scanner. Morphological T2-weighted and glycosaminoglycan-chemical-exchange-saturation-transfer (gagCEST) sequences were performed.

Results: No differences in morphological Pfirrmann grading were found (p > 0.05). In contrast, nucleus-pulposus-gagCEST-values of L5/S1 were significantly lower (p = 0.0008).

Conclusion: Our results suggest that LLD is a predisposing factor for molecular IVD alterations, which are detectable even before morphological pathologies could be found.

Keywords: Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST); Glycosaminoglycan (GAG); Intervertebral disc degeneration; Leg length discrepancy; Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); Preventive medicine.