Proton MR spectroscopy of the basal ganglia in healthy children and children with AIDS.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate proton magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy in children with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and to establish an age-dependent spectroscopic database of the normal basal ganglia in children.


METHODS
Eighteen healthy children and 45 children with AIDS underwent both brain MR imaging and single-voxel MR spectroscopy with a long-echo-time point-resolved technique. A large part of the region of interest studied at MR spectroscopy included the basal ganglia.


RESULTS
Seven patients with progressive encephalopathy and eight with static encephalopathy had significantly lower mean N-acetyl aspartate (NAA)/creatine (Cr) ratios than age-matched control subjects (P<.02). In determining the presence of progressive encephalopathy in children with AIDS, MR spectroscopy appears to be more sensitive and specific than MR imaging and immunologic testing. Thirty patients without encephalopathy had normal NAA/Cr ratios but significantly lower choline/Cr ratios than age-matched control subjects (P<.02).


CONCLUSIONS
Proton MR spectroscopy may be a more sensitive diagnostic technique than MR imaging in childhood AIDS encephalopathy.
Lu
D
D
Department of Radiology, North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, NY 11030, USA.
Pavlakis
S G
SG
Frank
Y
Y
Bakshi
S
S
Pahwa
S
S
Gould
R J
RJ
Sison
C
C
Hsu
C
C
Lesser
M
M
Hoberman
M
M
Barnett
T
T
Hyman
R A
RA
D015526:AIDS Dementia Complex / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002794:Choline / Q000032:analysis; D003401:Creatine / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D001224:Aspartic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D003401:Creatine; D002794:Choline