Canine Intervertebral Disc Degeneration MTR Values and Pfirrmann Grades

A 2026 pilot study by Charlène Paquet explores magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) as a quantitative tool for assessing disc degeneration in dogs. The dataset includes MTR measurements from 181 intervertebral discs harvested post-mortem from 9 chondrodystrophic and non-chondrodystrophic dogs, correlated with Pfirrmann grades, macroscopic Thompson grades, and histological staining. Statistical analysis shows a positive correlation between increased MTR and the severity of disc degeneration.

Use Cases

• Train models to predict disc degeneration severity based on MTR values mentioned in the description
• Analyze correlations between quantitative MRI metrics (MTR) and qualitative grading scales (Pfirrmann, Thompson)
• Validate imaging biomarkers for early detection of intervertebral disc disease in canine subjects

Strengths

• Data is validated against multiple assessment methods: Pfirrmann MRI grades, macroscopic Thompson grades, and histological staining
• Includes measurements from 181 intervertebral discs, providing a substantial sample for a pilot study
• Released under a permissive CC-BY-4.0 license for reuse

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• The dataset is very small (198.0 B), indicating limited scope, likely containing summary statistics or metadata rather than raw measurements

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

MRI acquisitions performed on spinal columns harvested post-mortem from 9 dogs of various breeds

Time Range

Pilot study published in 2026

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-21 17:23:17; freshness should be verified

Geography

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