Brain tumors: localized H-1 MR spectroscopy at 0.5 T.

PURPOSE

To investigate the feasibility of obtaining clinically useful magnetic resonance (MR) spectra at 0.5 T in cerebral lesions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Single-voxel localized proton MR spectroscopy was performed at 0.5 T in 18 patients (aged 16-73 years) suspected of having cerebral lesions on MR images who subsequently underwent craniotomy and biopsy and in eight volunteers (aged 21-50 years). The metabolite resonances in the MR spectra were stratified according to the histologic diagnosis. MR spectra demonstrated resonances for choline-containing compounds (Cho), creatine and phosphocreatine, glutamine and glutamate, N-acetylaspartate (NAA), myo-inositol, and lactate.

RESULTS

In 14 of 15 patients with cerebral tumors, the Cho-NAA ratio was increased and was greater than 1. In three patients with nonneoplastic cerebral lesions, the ratio did not exceed 1. In healthy control subjects, the average ratio was 0.54.

CONCLUSION

H-1 MR spectroscopy at 0.5 T provides clinically useful information in patients with cerebral lesions.