Fig. 2

Regions of interest (ROIs) were drawn on the imaged IVD. a-d: The first echo and colored T2 map and the MTR are shown. e: The CEPZ is visualized in T2WI. f-g: The ROIs for the CEPZ were drawn from cephalic to caudal vertebrae. To ensure the best possible anatomical alignment, all ROIs were selected from the morphological images (first echo image of the T2 map or MTR mapping sequence) and transferred by “copy and paste” into the T2 and MTR maps) to cover the anterior, middle, and posterior part of IVD (f, Low magnification). Arrows show the specific drawing (g, high magnification). The area of ROIs and signal intensity can be automatically calculated using the segmentation software (h). The lower edge of the ROI is covered with the following upper edge of the ROI of the adjacent vertebra to avoid omitting tissue information. ☆indicates CEPZ