[Multivoxel spectroscopy with short echo time: choline/N-acetyl-aspartate ratio and the grading of cerebral astrocytomas].
The choline/N-acetyl-aspartate (Cho/NAA) ratio, obtained by the multivoxel spectroscopy with short echo time (TE), was evaluated, in the histological grading of the brain astrocytomas (grades I, II and III-IV) in comparison with the normal cerebral parenchyma. A significant increase (p<0.05) in the average ratios of Cho/NAA was observed in the three astrocytoma groups studied in relation to normal tissue, having a tendency to increase with the increase in grading, without any statistic significance, which corresponded to: 0.53+/-0.24 in the control group, 1.19+/-0.49 in grade I, 1.58+/-0.65 in grade II and 5.13+/-8.12 in the high grade group (grades III-IV), with variation in the values encountered. There was an increase in the Cho/NAA ratio in 4/5 (80%) in grade I, 5/6 (83%) in grade II and 10/20 (50%) in grades III and IV. We conclude that multivoxel spectroscopy with short TE can be used in discriminating between normal parenchyma and neoplasm tissue. However, not all neoplasm tissue studied presented an increase in Cho/NAA, especially in the group with higher grade of malignancy.
Aragão
Maria de Fátima Vasco
Mde F
Hospital Albert Sabin, and Departamento de Neuropsiquiatria, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brazil. aragao@truenet.com.br
Otaduy
Maria Concepción García
MC
Melo
Roberto Vieira de
RV
Azevedo Filho
Hildo Rocha Cirne de
HR
Victor
Edgar Guimarães
EG
Silva
José Laércio
JL
Araújo
Nelson
N
Leite
Claudia da Costa
Cda C
Valença
Marcelo Moraes
MM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011522:Protons; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors
D011522:Protons; D001224:Aspartic Acid; D002794:Choline