title: MR proton spectroscopy in liver examinations of healthy individuals in vivo.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Magnetic resonance proton spectroscopy ((1)H MRS) is a non-invasive method that provides in vivo measurement of metabolic concentrations in body tissue. However, relatively little is known about the potential of 1H MR spectroscopy for the quantification of liver metabolites. The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of (1)H MRS in establishing the metabolic pattern of normal human liver.
  
  
  METHODS
  Proton spectroscopy of the liver, using the Picker system, Edge Eclipse 1.5T, with whole-body coil and PRESS 35 sequence, was conducted in a group of 24 healthy volunteers. In all subjects we also evaluated the thickness of the subcutaneous fat tissue in MR images and body mass index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The presence of lipid resonances, phosphoesters (Pe), glycogen/glucose (Glc), and glutamine/glutamate (Gln) were observed in the spectra. Total lipid concentration, CH3 and (CH2)n of the lipid resonances were higher in the men than in the women, while the metabolite contents in the CH2=CH-CH2 groups of lipids, Pe, Glc and Gln peaks were similar in both genders. We observed statistically significant positive correlation, more apparent in the group of men, between TL concentration and BMI. There was no statistically significant correlation between lipid total concentration and age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Proton spectroscopy enables the quantitative evaluation of lipid contents in the liver. The correlation between liver triglyceride contents and body mass index shows that the tendency to obesity is also connected with lipid accumulation in the liver.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Medical University Hospital, ul. M. Curie-Skłodowskiej 24a, 15-642 Białystok, Poland.
authors.forename: Eugeniusz
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tarasów
authors.forename: Leszek
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Siergiejczyk
authors.forename: Anatol
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Panasiuk
authors.forename: Bozena
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kubas
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dzienis
authors.forename: Danuta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prokopowicz
authors.forename: Jerzy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Walecki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011522:Protons; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D011522:Protons