Systems and methods using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to evaluate pain and degenerative properties of tissue

摘要

A medical diagnostic system for providing diagnostic information that is indicative of a degree of a chemical property that is correlative with discogenic pain in a first region of tissue of an intervertebral disc associated with chronic, debilitating intervertebral joint pain experienced along a spine of a patient, comprising: a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy system that is configured to generate NMR spectroscopic data related to an NMR spectrum of the first region of tissue, and to provide NMR spectroscopic data related to the spectrum in a form that is processable; a computer readable software program in computer readable media form and that is configured to process the NMR spectroscopic data related to the NMR spectrum and to provide the diagnostic information based upon the processed NMR spectroscopic data; a processor that is configured to run the program; and wherein the diagnostic information provided by the processor running the program is based at least in part upon measuring an n-Acetyl-related resonance region of the NMR spectrum associated with chondroitan sulfate or a metabolite or degradation product thereof and a lactate-related resonance region of the NMR spectrum. 10/10+ -j 0i vi