Infantile tuberous sclerosis changes in the brain: proton MR spectroscopy findings

A parietal hamartoma of a three-month-old boy with tuberous sclerosis was s tudied with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and proton MR spectroscopy. MR spectra were obtained with the single-voxel PRESS (point resolved spectros copy; TR = 1500 ms, TE = 135 ms) sequence, in a 8 cc region of interest. Ap parently low NAA/Cho (0.28), and NAA/Cr (0.37) ratios were noted in the ham artoma, that could suggest a neoplasm. The lesion and the surrounding brain tissue were studied again after seven months with spectroscopic imaging us ing the chemical shift sequence (TR = 1500 ms, TE = 40 ms). This study reve aled apparently improved NAA/Cho (2.63), NAA/Cr (2.13) ratios in the hamart oma compared to the initial examination at three months of age, excluding t he possibility of a neoplasm. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights res erved.