What are Modic changes of the vertebral endplates?
These are MRI findings seen in the bone marrow adjacent to the vertebral endplates associated with degenerative disease in the lumbar spine.
- • Modic type I change refers to a marrow edema–like pattern that histopathologically correlates with subchondral vascularized fibrous tissue and endplate fissures, and which is seen as low signal intensity on T1-weighted images and high signal intensity on fat-suppressed T2-weighted images relative to normal marrow signal.
- • Modic type II change refers to a fatty marrow change seen as high signal intensity on T1-weighted images and as low signal intensity on fat-suppressed T2-weighted images relative to normal marrow signal.
- • Modic type III change refers to subchondral sclerosis, which is seen as low signal intensity on both T1-weighted and T2-weighted images relative to normal marrow signal.
