In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Imaging and 31 P Spectroscopy of Large Human Brain Tumours at 1.5 Tesla

Abstract

³¹P MR spectroscopy of human brain tumours is one feature of magnetic resonance imaging. Eight patients with large superficial brain tumours and eight healthy volunteers were examined with ³¹P spectroscopy using an 8 cm surface coil for volume selection. Seven frequencies were resolved in our spectra. The spectra from patients with brain tumours showed a great scatter, but generally they overlapped those obtained in normal brain tissue. No characteristic pattern of the spectra was seen in the tumours. One patient with a metastasis from a small cell carcinoma of the lung was examined before and after chemotherapy. The spectra showed considerable changes during chemotherapy. It is concluded that ³¹P spectroscopy using surface coils is of limited value for tumour characterization, but may add useful information in monitoring the effect of chemotherapy.