What is endplate degeneration?
What is endplate degeneration?
Vertebral body endplate degeneration may be detected by the presence of edema or fat within the endplates. Endplate degeneration represents a continuum of different stages of degeneration beginning with bone edema and ending with the endplate sclerosis.
What is end plate degenerative changes?
Vertebral endplate (Modic) changes are bone marrow and endplate lesions visible in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). They are shown to be associated with degenerative intervertebral disc disease [1–3]. Type II lesions (high T1 and T2 signals) are thought to manifest a more stable and chronic degeneration.
What causes degenerative endplate changes?
There are several current theories about the etiology of vertebral endplate changes. In their initial paper, Modic et al. postulated that the changes were a result of primary mechanical stress on the endplates. Subsequent studies identified lumbar instability as a mechanical factor associated with type 1 changes.
What is fatty degenerative endplate changes?
The fatty replacement of the healthy bone marrow at the adjacent vertebrae’s endplates may reduce the intervertebral disc’s nutrients. The lack of the inward flow of the needed nutrients will, in turn, lead to early-onset degeneration of the spinal disc, and as such, led to reduced disc height.
Does endplate cause pain?
In fact, low back pain caused by endplate injuries is quite common in clinical research. Epidemiological investigations indicate that in the population without low back pain, the incidence rate of endplate injuries is about 30% [30].
What causes end plate fracture?
It is hypothesized that, in a large number of cases of aspecific low back pain, the primary cause of the pain is a fracture of the vertebral endplate caused by compression forces. Clinical studies have shown that, in many low back pain patients, damage of the vertebral bodies and or the intervertebral disc is present.
Does end plate sclerosis cause pain?
Studies have found evidence that such lesions on endplates in the lumbar region of the back are associated with low back pain. 3 In its advanced stages, endplate degeneration is called endplate sclerosis. Endplate damage can be difficult to detect, even with diagnostic imaging.
What is your endplate?
A vertebral end plate is the transition region where a vertebral body and intervertebral disc interface with each other. A vertebral end plate is commonly described as consisting of 2 layers: Cartilaginous layer (also called cartilaginous endplate) that fuses with the disc.
Is endplate A sclerosis?
What is end plate damage?
As a result, end plates are particularly vulnerable to damage. End plate regions weakened by damage facilitate communication between the disk nucleus and vertebral marrow, which can cause an adverse combination of end plate nerve proliferation plus chemical sensitization and mechanical stimulation.
When does Modic degenerative endplate changes on MRI?
ii) Modic type 2 is when the marrow gets substituted by yellow fat. iii) Modic type 3 is the stage where all inflammation is finally replaced by bone scarring. Since your MRI is showing modic type 1 changes, you have active inflammation in your back adjacent to end plates, which is giving you the pain.
What are the three types of degenerative endplate changes?
Degenerative endplate changes have been classified by Modic et al, 34,35 into three categories: Type 1 changes are edematous changes related to subchondral end plate fractures, formation of vascularized fibrous tissue and an acute reparative response.
When was the vertebral endplate changes redefined?
Vertebral endplate changes were redefined with the advent of MRI, which enabled visualization of previously unrecognized alterations in marrow signal. Modic et al. proposed a formal classification of these changes in 1988.
What are the endplate changes on a lumbar disc?
The sagittal MR series reveal hypointensity (red asterisks) on T1- weighted image (2a) and hyperintensity (blue asterisks) on T2-weighted images (2b) in the endplates adjacent to the L2-3 disc, consistent with Modic type 1 changes. All lumbar discs demonstrate loss of signal on T2 weighted images, consistent with degeneration.)