[Experience in noninvasively quantifying hydrogen magnetic resonance imaging spectroscopic hepatic fat concentrations in patients with fatty hepatosis before and after treatment with Eslidin].

OBJECTIVE

To define the role of liver magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy in the evaluation of therapy for fatty hepatosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Spectra were studied in 49 patients (30 men and 19 women) whose mean age was 54+/-11 years. A study group consisted: 1) healthy volunteers (n = 10) and 2) patients with fatty hepatosis (n = 39) identified by clinical data. The patient group had two points: before and 6 months after treatment with Eslidin (based on polyunsaturated fatty acids). The lipid-to-water content ratio in the liver parenchyma was calculated for each patient. If its value was over 6.5%, the diagnosis of fatty hepatosis was considered verified.

RESULTS

The findings showed that the ratio was not more than 3.2% in the group of healthy volunteers, which completely excluded hepatic fatty infiltration. In the patient group, the ratio was 15, 10, and 8.5% in 15, 20, and 4 cases, respectively. Reexamination revealed a reduction in fat concentrations to normal values (56,4%) in 22 patients and a more than twice (31%) decrease in 12 patients. No reduction in fat content was found in 5 (12,8%) patients.

CONCLUSION

Proton MR spectroscopy is a reproducible procedure that may be used to evaluate the efficiency of treatment for fatty hepatosis. H1-spectroscopy can be used to evaluate the efficacy of some drugs for the treatment of this pathology.