[Clinical application of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in children with idiopathic epilepsy].
OBJECTIVE
This study examined the biochemical metabolism by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ('H-MRS) in order to explore the value of 'H-MRS in idiopathic epilepsy in children.


METHODS
Thirty-three children with idiopathic epilepsy (14 cases with history of febrile seizures and 19 cases without) and six normal controls experienced MRI of the skull and brain and single-voxel 'H-MRS examinations of the hippocampi-temporal lobe. The signal intensities of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), eatine+phosphocreatine (Cr), choline-containing compounds (Cho) and lactate (Lac) and the ratios of NAA/ (Cho+Cr) and Lac/Cr were compared between the patients and normal controls.


RESULTS
MRI examination showed that only one child with epilepsy had myelin dysplasia. 'H-MRS examination showed that the ratio of NAA/ (Cho+Cr) in the epilepsy group was lower than that in the control group (0.64+/-0.07 vs 0.73+/-0.05; P<0.01). The epileptic children with history of febrile seizures had a more decreased ratio of NAA/ (Cho+Cr) compared with those without the history (0.61+/-0.07 vs 0.66+/-0.06; P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the ratio of Lac/Cr between the epilepsy and the control groups.


CONCLUSIONS
'H-MRS may provide early information on brain injury sensitively and non-invasively in children with epilepsy. It may be used for diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of epilepsy.
Shao
Xiao-Li
XL
Department of Pediatrics, People's Hospital of Shaoxing, Shaoxing, Zhejiang 312000, China.
Zhou
Zhong-Shu
ZS
Hong
Wen
W
D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000032:analysis; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002794:Choline / Q000032:analysis; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D010725:Phosphocreatine / Q000032:analysis; D011522:Protons
D011522:Protons; D010725:Phosphocreatine; D001224:Aspartic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D002794:Choline