Table 2. Comparison of Mean Kurtosis Values Across Studies A comparative analysis of MK values reported in different studies, highlighting variations in degenerative stages and correlation with clinical symptom.

Author	Mean ± SD MK NP (Healthy)	Mean ± SD MK NP (Degeneration)	Mean ± SD MK AF (Healthy)	Mean ± SD MK AF (Degeneration)	No. of Discs	Sensitivity	Specificity
Feifei Zeng et al.	0.67 ± 0.04	1.44 ± 0.19	1.285 ± 0.20	1.91 ± 0.32	369	79.42%	79.3%
Li Li et al.	0.65 ± 0.13	0.63 ± 0.12	NR	NR	53	90%	70%
Takano et al.	1.994	1.743	NR	NR	96	NR	NR

MK- Mean Kurtosis, NP-Nucleus Pulposus, AF- Annulus Fibrosus, NR- No Results.