MR proton spectroscopy in liver examinations of healthy individuals in vivo

Magnetic resonance proton spectroscopy ((1)H MRS) is a non-invasive method that provides in vivo measurement of metabolic concentrations in body tissue. However, relatively little is known about the potential of 1H MR spectroscopy for the quantification of liver metabolites. The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of (1)H MRS in establishing the metabolic pattern of normal human liver. Proton spectroscopy of the liver, using the Picker system, Edge Eclipse 1.5T, with whole-body coil and PRESS 35 sequence, was conducted in a group of 24 healthy volunteers. In all subjects we also evaluated the thickness of the subcutaneous fat tissue in MR images and body mass index. The presence of lipid resonances, phosphoesters (Pe), glycogen/glucose (Glc), and glutamine/glutamate (Gln) were observed in the spectra. Total lipid concentration, CH3 and (CH2)n of the lipid resonances were higher in the men than in the women, while the metabolite contents in the CH2=CH-CH2 groups of lipids, Pe, Glc and Gln peaks were similar in both genders. We observed statistically significant positive correlation, more apparent in the group of men, between TL concentration and BMI. There was no statistically significant correlation between lipid total concentration and age. Proton spectroscopy enables the quantitative evaluation of lipid contents in the liver. The correlation between liver triglyceride contents and body mass index shows that the tendency to obesity is also connected with lipid accumulation in the liver.