title: Magnetic resonance spectroscopy in intracranial tumours of glial origin.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) characteristics of intracranial glial tumours and to assess MRS reliability in glioma grading and discrimination between different histopathological types of tumours.
  
  
  METHODS
  Analysis of spectra of 26 patients with glioblastomas, 6 with fibrillary astrocytomas, 4 with anaplastic astrocytomas, 2 with pilocytic astrocytoma, 3 with oligodendrogliomas, 3 with anaplastic oligodendrogliomas and 17 control spectra taken from healthy hemispheres.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All tumours' metabolite ratios, except for Cho/Cr in fibrillary astrocytomas (p = 0.06), were statistically significantly different from the control. The tumours showed decreased Naa and Cr contents and a high Cho signal. The Lac-Lip signal was high in grade III astrocytomas and glioblastomas. Reports that Cho/Cr ratio increases with glioma's grade whereas Naa/Cr decreases were not confirmed. Anaplastic astrocytomas compared to grade II astrocytomas had a statistically significantly greater mI/Cr ratio (p = 0.02). In pilocytic astrocytomas the Naa/Cr value (2.58 ± 0.39) was greater, whilst the Cho/Naa ratio was lower (2.14 ± 0.64) than in the other astrocytomas. The specific feature of oligodendrogliomas was the presence of glutamate/glutamine peak Glx. However, this peak was absent in two out of three anaplastic oligodendrogliomas. Characteristically, the latter tumours had a high Lac-Lip signal.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MRS in vivo cannot be used as a reliable method for glioma grading. The method is useful in discrimination between WHO grade I and WHO grade II astrocytomas as well as oligodendrogliomas from other gliomas.
authors.affiliation: Dariusz J. Jaskólski, Department of Neurosurgery and Oncology of the Central Nervous System, Medical University of Lodz, Barlicki Hospital, ul. Kopciñskiego 22, 90-153 Łódź, phone: +48 42 677 67 70, fax: +48 42 677 67 81, e-mail: dariusz.jaskolski@umed.lodz.pl.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Jaskólski
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fortuniak
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Majos
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gajewicz
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Papierz
authors.forename: P P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Liberski
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sikorska
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Stefańczyk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D005910:Glioma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008579:Meningioma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009442:Neurilemmoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D011044:Poland; D055815:Young Adult