Radiomics and machine learning for Pfirrmann grade classification of intervertebral discs in lumbar MRI

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a leading cause of chronic low back pain, yet its clinical grading with the Pfirrmann scale is subjective and prone to variability. This study evaluates a radiomics-based machine learning framework for automatic classification of Pfirrmann grades from lumbar T2-weighted MRI. Radiomic features of disc shape, intensity, and texture were extracted under IBSI…