MR spectroscopy in diagnosis and neurological decision-making

Xu V, Chan H, Lin AP, Sailasuta N, Valencerina S, Tran T, Hovener J, Ross BD

Semin Neurol 2008 Sep;28(4):407-22

PMID: 18843570

Abstract

One of the most prolific chemical and anatomical imaging techniques of recent decades, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), includes the ability to noninvasively assess neurochemical changes with magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Practical concerns are paramount in applying MRS, such as what the manufacturer provides with a routine MRI scanner, what methods are well tolerated by patients, and what has proved most diagnostically productive over a 25 year span of preliminary exploration of the technology. In this review, the authors explain the technical and neurochemical aspects of MRS and critically discuss its clinical neuroimaging applications.