http://repub.eur.nl/res/aut/18114/ List of Publications en http://repub.eur.nl/static-eur/img/logo.png http://repub.eur.nl http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/15364/ 2000-10-01T00:00:00Z Mechanical loading, occurring during normal daily life, causes fluid to be expelled from intervertebral discs. Excessive fluid loss during heavy loading might make the disc more vulnerable to damage. In this study, fluid loss was investigated in vitro through monitoring the loss of MRI signal intensity in four bovine coccygeal intervertebral discs, compressed at 2000 N during 1.5 hr. The MRI signals were analyzed with the aid of finite element models to account for the deformation of the tissue. A gradual signal loss over time was found during loading, the most pronounced loss occurring in the central disc region. Initial patterns of signal distribution were quite variable between specimens but repeatable within specimens. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/15271/ 1998-01-01T00:00:00Z Tracking of signal intensity changes in soft tissue over time is often hampered by deformation of the tissue. In this study a method is described that uses finite element modeling to compensate for tissue deformation. The method is applied to the quantification of fluid redistribution in an intervertebral disc that deforms under mechanical load. The clinical importance of this application emerges from the increased susceptibility of the intervertebral disc to damage after a period of mechanical loading. The study shows that the use of the finite element aided approach results in a detailed map of tissue MRI signal changes, where the distorting effects of tissue deformation are eliminated.