MR imaging and spectroscopy of a tuber cinereum hamartoma in a patient with growth hormone deficiency and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism.

To our knowledge, this is the first report of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, or growth hormone deficiency, in a patient without non-Pallister-Hall syndrome who had hypothalamic hamartoma diagnosed on the basis of MR imaging and MR spectroscopy findings. On short-TE proton MR spectra, the N-acetylaspartate concentration in the hamartoma was lower than that in the thalamus but similar to that in the amygdala. However, myo-inositol concentration was elevated in the hamartoma compared with that in the amygdala and thalamus. This report stresses the advantages of short-TE spectroscopy and demonstrates that regional variations in spectra should be considered when reference structures are used.