title: Benign versus secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis: the potential role of proton MR spectroscopy in defining the nature of disability.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We determined the clinical utility of proton MR spectroscopy in defining the extent of disability in benign versus secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis (MS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty patients with clinically definite MS, including 16 patients with benign MS and 14 with secondary-progressive MS, and a group of 13 healthy volunteers were studied with combined stimulated-echo acquisition mode proton MR spectroscopy and MR imaging (all patients received contrast material).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Acute enhancing lesions of benign and secondary-progressive MS were characterized by a reduction in N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/choline and NAA/creatine and an increase in inositol compounds/creatine as compared with normal white matter. Such variations were also detected in chronic unenhancing lesions in patients with secondary-progressive MS, although they were not found in chronic unenhancing lesions in patients with benign MS. Chronic lesions of the two forms of the disease have significative differences in NAA and inositol signals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Proton MR spectroscopy is able to show metabolic changes occurring in the white matter of patients with MS. Such changes differ according to the phase (acute versus chronic) and the clinical form (benign versus secondary-progressive) of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroradiology, Scientific Institute San Raffaele Hospital, University of Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Falini
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Calabrese
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Filippi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Origgi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lipari
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Colombo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Comi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scotti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism; D003401:Creatine / Q000378:metabolism; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007294:Inositol / Q000378:metabolism; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009460:Neurologic Examination
chemical_list: D001224:Aspartic Acid; D007294:Inositol; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D003401:Creatine; D002794:Choline