MR spectroscopy in sinus mucocele: N-acetyl mimics of brain N-acetylaspartate.
We describe MR spectroscopy in 2 patients with frontal sinus mucoceles that showed a dominant metabolite peak at 2.0-ppm chemical shift, simulating N-acetylaspartate (NAA) of normal neuronal tissue. In vitro analysis of postsurgical mucocele samples confirmed that the signal at 2.0 ppm was arising from the methyl moiety of an N-acetyl compound. This is probably caused by N-acetylgalactosamine or N-acetylglucosamine, which are glycoproteins found in normal respiratory mucus produced by the paranasal sinus epithelium.
Andre
E
E
Department of Neuroradiology, National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore.
Xu
M
M
Yang
D
D
Siow
J K
JK
Yeo
T T
TT
Xu
Y
Y
Lim
C C T
CC
D000116:Acetylgalactosamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000117:Acetylglucosamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D005626:Frontal Sinus; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D009078:Mucocele / Q000378:metabolism*; D010254:Paranasal Sinus Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*
D001224:Aspartic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D000116:Acetylgalactosamine; D000117:Acetylglucosamine