Diffusion tensor imaging for evaluation of lumbar intervertebral discs in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: a preliminary prospective study

DTI demonstrated degeneration of lumbar IVDs in AIS patients even without visible signs on T2-weighted images, and L4-5 IVDs were more prone to degenerate. DTI could serve as a sensitive technique to evaluate the degeneration of IVDs in AIS patients non-invasively and quantitatively.