title: MR spectroscopy of the human prostate using surface coil at 3 T: metabolite ratios, age-dependent effects, and diagnostic possibilities.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure prostate spectra of healthy volunteers using a surface coil, to demonstrate age-dependent effects, and to investigate diagnostic possibilities for prostate cancer detection.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single-voxel and 2D magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) spectra of 51 healthy volunteers with biopsy-proven prostate carcinoma of 20 patients for comparison were measured and processed using the LCModel. The mean normalized spectra and mean metabolite-to-citrate intensity ratios were computed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Metabolite-to-citrate ratios of healthy volunteers were lower in the older group (>51 years) than in the younger group (<45 years). The peripheral zone (PZ) revealed a lower metabolite-to-citrate intensity ratio than the central gland (CG). Age-related differences in metabolite-to-citrate ratio were insignificant in the voxels with predominantly CG tissue, whereas significant differences were found in the PZ. Sensitivity in detecting prostate cancer by single-voxel spectroscopy (SVS) and 2D MRSI was 75% and 80%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SVS and 2D MRSI of the prostate at 3 T, using a surface coil, are useful in situations when insertion of the endorectal coil into the rectum is difficult or impossible. Our findings of age-dependent effects may be of importance for the analysis of patient spectra.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden. jan.weis@radiol.uu.se
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weis
authors.forename: Håkan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jorulf
authors.forename: Antonina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ortiz-Nieto
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Häggman
authors.forename: Håkan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ahlström
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011467:Prostate / Q000737:chemistry*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity