Abstract |
The most common cause of chorea- ballismus (CB) is a vascular lesion; it is also associated with nonketotic hyperglycaemia in diabetes mellitus (DM) and may be the first manifestation of this disorder. We describe the CT, MRI and proton MR spectroscopy (1H-MRS) of CB in eight patients. Six had hemichorea- hemiballismus (HC-HB) and two bilateral CB. Single-voxel (SV) 1H-MRS was performed using point-resolved spectroscopy (PRESS). Voxels were positioned in the basal ganglia of the patients and control subjects. PRESS was also used to obtain spectroscopic imaging (1H-MRSI) of the slice of interest in two patients. CT showed a slightly dense striatum in all the patients with CB, and T1-weighted images revealed high signal. The CB correlated well with the neuroimaging findings. SV 1H-MRS showed the mean (+/- SD) N-acetylaspartate (NAA)/ creatine (Cr) ratio to be 1.45 +/- 0.19 in HC-HB and 1.82 +/- 0.06 on the opposite normal side (P = 0.01). The choline (Cho)/ Cr ratio was 1.3 +/- 0.12 in HC-HB and 1.11 +/- 0.13 on the opposite normal side (P = 0.005). A lactate peak was seen in seven patients. The NAA/Cr ratio was 1.44 +/- 0.15 in bilateral CB and 1.74 +/- 0.16 in the controls (P = 0.017); the Cho/Cr ratios were 1.36 +/- 0.1 and 1.19 +/- 0.07 (P = 0.015). The low NAA/Cr suggests neuronal loss or damage and the high Cho/Cr probably indicates gliosis. The presence of lactate may suggest mild ischaemia due to acute vascular events during hyperglycaemia and underlying chronic focal cerebrovascular diseases in DM.
|
Authors | P H Lai, P C Chen, M H Chang, H B Pan, C F Yang, M T Wu, J Y Li, C Chen, H L Liang, W L Chen |
Journal | Neuroradiology
(Neuroradiology)
Vol. 43
Issue 7
Pg. 525-31
(Jul 2001)
ISSN: 0028-3940 [Print] Germany |
PMID | 11512579
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
|
Chemical References |
- Aspartic Acid
- N-acetylaspartate
- Creatine
- Choline
|
Topics |
- Aged
- Aspartic Acid
(analogs & derivatives, metabolism)
- Choline
(metabolism)
- Chorea
(diagnosis, etiology, metabolism)
- Creatine
(metabolism)
- Diabetes Complications
- Female
- Humans
- Hyperglycemia
(complications)
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Tomography, X-Ray Computed
|