Magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the pediatric brain.

Proton magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy is a complementary method to MR imaging for understanding disease processes in the pediatric brain. By demonstrating the presence of various metabolites in the sampled tissue, MR spectroscopy helps in the understanding of abnormalities detected by MR imaging or clinical examination. This capability is especially pertinent in the pediatric brain, where the manifestation of pathology is superimposed upon a background of normal or abnormal brain development. In this article, we review the major metabolites demonstrated by MR spectroscopy and present examples of MR spectra obtained in various pathological processes encountered in children.