PROTON MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY(IJ MRS): ITS ROLE IN DIFFERENTIATING AND CATEGORIZING BRAIN TUMOURS

Abstract

MRSpectroscopy iiecome an important non invasive intial diagnostic tool for different brain !esions,-MRS help in diagnosis of the neoplastic brain lesions , also it categorize and differeniate between different brain tumours _ It has a role in Grading of tumours that can affect the outcome and prognosis.

MRl & MRSpectroscopic examination play an important role in follow up of patients who have completed their radiotherapy as in a number of patients the MRl findings may be inconclusive , whereas MRSpectroscopy can provide a predictive information of tumour recurrance not available by MRL

Although surgical biopsies are still the gold standard for tumour diagnosis, but targeting the most appropriate region of the tumour can be difficult _ MRS help in targeting the region for biopsy to that of the maximum MRS abnormalities which help in improvement of diagnosis.

MRS help in planning radiotherapy and surgery as it can delineate the extent of the tumour by eliciting the abnormalities in the tumoural and the peritumoural regions , which have a potential role in refining radiotherapy and surgical treatment

28 patients were included in our study ; 18 patients with astrocytoma , 3 patients with meningioma , I patient with ependymoma and 6 patients with mestastases _ the end result of this s'udy is that MRSpectroscopy considered as an important clinical diagnostic tool complementary to MRl examination and promises to contribute in presurgical evaluation and discrimination between different brain tumours.