Affiliations: Department of Radiology, DDHCC, University Hospital Rotterdam, Groene Hilledijk 301, 3008 AE Rotterdam, Netherlands
Dr. Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center (DDHCC), Department of Radiology, University Hospital Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
References: Not available.
1H MR spectroscopy in patients with metastatic brain tumors: A multicenter study
In a cooperative study involving six clinical MR centers, localized 1H MR spectroscopy was used to characterize untreated metastatic brain tumors (40 cases, 45 lesions). Cubic volumes (3.4 or 8 cm3) filled for more than 50% by metastatic brain tissue were examined by single-voxel double spin echo MRS, by using chemical shift selective imaging (CHESS) pulses for water suppression and TE = 135 ms. Choline (Cho), creatine (Cr) and N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) levels in brain metastases of mammary carcinoma (n = 13), lung cancer (n = 11) and melanoma (n = 10) were similar. Metastasis NAA/Cho signal intensity ratio varied between 0.00 and 1.17, compared with 2.68 ± 0.56 (SD) in lobus occipitalis and 1.94 ± 0.63 in corpus nuclei caudati region (P < 0.0001, both). 1H MR spectroscopy, although not suited to recognize the primary tumor of metastases, could serve as a clinical test for excluding (metastatic) tumor as cause of solitary focal brain disorders that are hard to diagnose with current imaging methods.
1H MR spectroscopy in patients with metastatic brain tumors: A multicenter study