Diagnostic value of magnetic resonance spectroscopy for intracranial space-occupying lesions / 中国辐射卫生

ABSTRACT

Objective To evaluate the value of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in the diagnosis of intracranial space-occupying lesions. Methods A total of 126 patients with intracranial space-occupying lesions in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from 2019 to 2022 were enrolled and subjected to brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and MRS examinations. The performance of MRI alone and in combination with MRS was evaluated and compared for diagnosis of intracranial space-occupying lesions. Results Tuberculoma (19.05%) and high-grade glioma (15.87%) were the intracranial space-occupying lesions most commonly diagnosed by MRI in combination with MRS. Radiologists confirmed the diagnosis of intracranial space-occupying lesions in 23.81% patients depending on MRI alone, and in 75.40% patients depending on MRI combined with MRS, with a 2.17-fold improvement (χ2 = 67.07, P<0.01). The combination of MRI and MRS improved the accuracy of imaging diagnosis of intracranial space-occupying lesions in 70 (55.67%) patients compared with MRI alone. In addition, MRI in combination with MRS significantly improved the accuracy of differential diagnosis of high-grade glioma, low-grade glioma, cerebral infarct, tuberculoma, recurrent tumor, and radiation necrosis compared with MRI alone (P<0.01). Conclusion The efficacy of imaging diagnosis of intracranial space-occupying lesions can be improved by MRI in combination with MRS relative to MRI alone. The combined use of MRI and MRS may serve as a non-invasive tool for diagnosis of intracranial space-occupying lesions. In addition, the combination facilitates the differentiation between low- and high-grade gliomas, between high-grade glioma and tuberculoma, and between recurrent tumor and radiation necrosis.