title: Longitudinal MR spectroscopic imaging of pediatric diffuse pontine tumors to assess tumor aggression and progression.
abstract: Two pediatric patients with diffuse pontine tumors underwent MR spectroscopic imaging pre- and postradiation. Choline/creatine (Cho/Cr) and Cho/N-acetylaspartate (NAA) ratios were elevated before treatment, with no MR imaging contrast enhancement. These ratios were further elevated at 2 posttreatment follow-up studies, despite signs of excellent clinical improvement at initial follow-up. This study suggests that MR spectroscopic imaging is more specific in assessing the aggressiveness of diffuse pontine tumors than conventional MR imaging and can serve as a valuable tool in early prognostication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Thakur
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karimi
authors.forename: I J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Dunkel
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Koutcher
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D020295:Brain Stem Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male