Assessment of metabolic cerebral damage using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in mild traumatic brain injury.
OBJECTIVE
We want to appraise, through proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H1-MRI), the NAA's values and it's changing in cerebral tissue in consequence of cranial trauma.


METHODS
Six patients with TBI undergo to H1-MRI to asses the changes occurring briefly after trauma in the spectrum's composition.


RESULTS
As far as the first two cases we founded a lowering of the NAA's values. In the other four cases the NAA values were normal in all but one, which slightly brought the values of the NAA/Cr and NAA/Cho lower in comparison to the standard values.


CONCLUSIONS
Existing a correlation between NAA and ATP it can be drawn that the reduction of NAA is correlated to energetic type damage. Despite the smallness of data, it remains really important that we should have a tool to monitor the cerebral metabolic picture after a mild trauma.
Cimatti
M
M
Department of Neurological Sciences and Neurosurgery, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
D000328:Adult; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D001914:Boxing / Q000293:injuries*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male
D001224:Aspartic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate