Department of Clinical Radiology, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
Department of Medical Physics, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
Andrologia. 2020 Jun;52(5):e13569. doi: 10.1111/and.13569. Epub 2020 Mar 19.
Bilateral normal testes asymmetry represents an interesting phenomenon. The aim was to assess possible differences in the biochemical profile of bilateral normal testes by 3.0 T proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). Twenty-one men were examined with scrotal 3.0 T MRI, including a single-voxel point-resolved spectroscopy sequence. MR spectra were obtained by placing a volume of interest in the middle of each normal testis. Normalised metabolite concentrations, defined as ratios of the calculated metabolite concentrations relative to creatine (Cr) concentration, were compared between bilateral normal testes using Mann-Whitney U test. 1H-MRS allowed the detection of certain testicular metabolites, including total choline, Cr, myo-inositol, Glx, total lipids and macromolecules resonating at 0.9, 1.3 and 2.0 ppm. Normal left testis had higher median normalised concentrations of Glx (p = .002) and lactate (p = .041) compared with the normal right testis. Differences in concentrations of Glx were attributed to differences in glutamate (p = .020). Normal testes asymmetry is confirmed in this study by differences in the biochemical testicular profile, as assessed by 3.0 T 1H-MRS. Increase in levels of glutamate and lactate in normal left testis should be correlated with changes in metabolic pathways, specifically glycometabolism and amino acid metabolism.
双侧正常睾丸不对称是一种有趣的现象。本研究旨在通过 3.0T 质子磁共振波谱（1H-MRS）评估双侧正常睾丸生化特征的可能差异。21 名男性接受了阴囊 3.0T MRI 检查，包括单体素点分辨波谱序列。通过在每个正常睾丸的中间放置感兴趣区来获得 MR 光谱。使用 Mann-Whitney U 检验比较双侧正常睾丸之间的正常化代谢物浓度，定义为计算的代谢物浓度与肌酸（Cr）浓度的比值。1H-MRS 可检测到某些睾丸代谢物，包括总胆碱、Cr、肌醇、Glx、总脂质和在 0.9、1.3 和 2.0 ppm 处共振的大分子。与右侧正常睾丸相比，左侧正常睾丸的 Glx（p=0.002）和乳酸（p=0.041）的正常化浓度中位数更高。Glx 浓度的差异归因于谷氨酸（p=0.020）的差异。本研究通过 3.0T 1H-MRS 评估的生化睾丸特征的差异证实了正常睾丸的不对称性。正常左侧睾丸中谷氨酸和乳酸水平的升高应与代谢途径的变化相关，特别是糖代谢和氨基酸代谢。
