Application of 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy in differential diagnosis of brain low-grade gliomas and demyelinating diseases / 中国医学科学院学报

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the clinical value of 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in differential diagnosis of brain low-grade gliomas and demyelinating diseases.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>1H-MRS was performed in 24 patients with low-grade gliomas and 22 patients with demyelinating diseases and the results were retrospectively reviewed. The metabolites including N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), choline (Cho), and creatine (Cr) were detected in different areas including lesions and the normal brain. The ratios of NAA/Cr, NAA/Cho, and Cho/Cr were also computed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the normal brain tissue, low-grade gliomas and demyelinating diseases had significantly different ratios of NAA/Cr, NAA/Cho, and Cho/Cr (P < 0.05). The ratios of NAA/Cho and Cho/Cr were significantly different between low-grade gliomas and demyelinating diseases (P < 0.05), while the ratio of NAA/Cr was not significantly different (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The ratio of NAA/Cho and Cho/Cr is remarkably different between low-grade gliomas and demyelinating diseases. It can a useful indicator for differential diagnosis of these two diseases by 1H-MRS.</p>