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We retrospectively reviewed IVDs in patients who underwent both spinal DECT and MRI within one year. CT scans were acquired using single-source DECT at 80 and 135-kVp with automatic exposure control. Three readers scored IVDs according to Pfirrmann et al. on T2-weighted MRI images. Quantitative evaluation involved placing three standardized regions of interest in each IVD in DECT-based cMaps; in corresponding 135-kVp DECT scans and MRI images. Mean density measurements of AF and NP were compared with PF-grades using linear mixed model analysis. We included 339 IVDs of 97 patients [mean age 59.1\u00a0years]; (53 women [mean age 63.5\u00a0years] and 44 men [mean age 53.8\u00a0years]). cMap analysis revealed a significant difference of AF and NP collagen and chondroitin density between PF-grade I and V(AF: MD\u2009=\u2009\u2212\u00a031.1HU (95% CI \u2212\u200959.5 to \u2212\u20092.7),\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u20090.032;NP:MD\u2009=\u2009\u2212\u200937.8HU (95% CI \u2212\u200973.6 to \u2212\u20092.0),\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    \u2009=\u20090.038). 135-kVp DECT showed no IVD density reduction corresponding to PF-grades. MRI showed significant reduction of signal intensities in AF and NP with increasing PF-grades. IVD collagen and chondroitin density declined with increasing PF-grade in DECT-based cMaps, suggesting DECT-based cMaps as an additional tool for IVD classification.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-026-69070-9","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]],"date-time":"2026-09-03T14:53:14Z","timestamp":1788447194000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Quantification of intervertebral disc degeneration using dual-energy computed tomography collagen maps: a comparative study with MRI Pfirrmann grading"],"prefix":"10.1038","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3139-3380","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lara","family":"Farkic","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Carsten","family":"Stelbrink","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Friedemann","family":"Goehler","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kerstin","family":"Rubarth","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yan","family":"Klosterkemper","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Friederike","family":"Sch\u00f6mig","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Matthias","family":"Pumberger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Denis","family":"Poddubnyy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dominik","family":"Deppe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Robert","family":"Biesen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mikhail","family":"Protopopov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Torsten","family":"Diekhoff","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Julian","family":"Pohlan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,3]]},"reference":[{"issue":"17","key":"69070_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1873","DOI":"10.1097\/00007632-200109010-00011","volume":"26","author":"CW Pfirrmann","year":"1976","unstructured":"Pfirrmann, C. 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The authors L.F.; C.S.; F.G.; K.R.; Y.K.; F.S.; M.Pu.;M.P.;D.D; R.B.; M.Pr. declare no conflict of interest and relationships with any companies whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article.The authors J.P. is currently employed as medical strategy lead at UCB Pharma GmbH, Rolf-Schwarz-Sch\u00fctte-Platz 1, 40789 Monheim am Rhein, Germany. T.D. has received speaker honoraria from Canon Medical Systems. The Department of Radiology received a grant under a Master research agreement. This paper has not received any specific funding.","order":1,"name":"Ethics","label":"Competing interests","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Declarations"}},{"value":"This study included patients who were participants of earlier studies conducted at our department. Included studies received ethical approval from the local ethics committee Charit\u00e9 \u2013 Universit\u00e4tsmedizin Berlin IRB under (EA1\/230\/19, EA1\/011\/20, EA1\/372\/14, EA1\/086\/16). 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