Diffusion characteristics of human annulus fibrosus—a study documenting the dependence of annulus fibrosus on end plate for diffusion

Intervertebral disc being avascular depends on nutrition from either the end plate or the annulus fibrosus (AF). The role of the end plate on disc diffusion had been extensively studied. However, diffusion of human AF remains poorly understood because of the lack of reliable techniques to study AF in vivo and non-invasively. The present study for the first time evaluates the 24-hour diffusion characteristics of AF in radial, axial, and circumferential directions. The study aimed to document the 24-hour diffusion characteristics of human AF. This is an in vivo human serial post-contrast magnetic resonance image study. Twenty-five discs from five healthy volunteers (age