Published in:
01-03-2009 | Diagnostic Neuroradiology
Oral administration of choline does not affect metabolic characteristics of gliomas and normal-appearing white matter, as detected with single-voxel 1H-MRS at 1.5 T
Published in: Neuroradiology | Issue 3/2009
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Introduction
The present study was done for evaluation of the possible influence of the oral administration of choline on metabolic characteristics of gliomas detected with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS).
Materials and methods
Thirty patients (22 men and eight women; mean age 38 ± 15 years) with suspicious intracranial gliomas underwent single-voxel long-echo (TR 2,000 ms, TE 136 ms, 128–256 acquisitions) 1H-MRS of the tumor, peritumoral brain tissue, and distant normal-appearing white matter before and several hours (median, 3 h; range, 1.2–3.7 h) after ingestion of choline with prescribed dose of 50 mg/kg (median actual dose, 52 mg/kg; range, 48–78 mg/kg). Investigations were done using 1.5 T clinical magnetic resonance imager. The volume of the rectangular 1H-MRS voxel was either 3.4 or 8 cm3. At the time of both spectroscopic examinations, similar voxels’ positioning and size and technical parameters of 1H-MRS were used. Surgery was done in 27 patients within 1 to 68 days thereafter. In all cases, more than 80% resection of the neoplasm was attained.
Results
There were 12 low-grade gliomas and 15 high-grade gliomas. MIB-1 index varied from 0% to 51.7% (median, 13.8%). Statistical analysis did not disclose significant differences of any investigated metabolic parameter of the tumor, peritumoral brain tissue and distant normal-appearing white matter between two spectroscopic examinations.
Conclusion
Single-voxel 1H-MRS at 1.5 T could not detect significant changes of the metabolic characteristics of gliomas, peritumoral brain tissue, and distant normal-appearing white matter after oral administration of choline.