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1H-MRS of brain metabolites in migraine without aura: absolute quantification using the phantom replacement technique

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Abstract

Objective

Several studies have demonstrated differences in migraine patients when performing 1H-MRS; however, no studies have performed 1H-MRS in migraine without aura (MwoA), the most common migraine subtype. The aim of this 1H-MRS study was to elucidate whether any differences could be found between MwoA patients and controls by performing absolute quantification.

Materials and methods

1H-MRS was performed in 22 MwoA patients and 25 control subjects. Absolute quantification was based on the phantom replacement technique. Corrections were made for T1 and T2 relaxation effects, CSF content, coil loading and temperature. The method was validated by phantom measurements and in vivo measurements in the occipital visual cortex.

Results

After calibration of the quantification procedure and the implementation of the required correction factors, measured absolute concentrations in the visual cortex of MwoA patients showed no significant differences compared to controls, in contrast to relative results obtained in earlier studies.

Conclusion

In this study, we demonstrate the implementation of quantitative in vivo 1H-MRS spectroscopy in migraine patients. Despite rigorous quantification, no spectroscopic abnormalities could be found in patients with migraine without aura.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Ghent Institute for Functional and Metabolic Imaging, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Harmen Reyngoudt, Benedicte Descamps & Eric Achten

  2. MR-department, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Harmen Reyngoudt, Benedicte Descamps & Eric Achten

  3. Department of Radiation Oncology and Experimental Cancer Research, Laboratory for Quantitative Nuclear Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Biology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Yves De Deene

  4. Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiobiology, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

    Yves De Deene

  5. Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Koen Paemeleire

  6. Department of Neurology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium

    Koen Paemeleire

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  1. Harmen Reyngoudt
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  2. Yves De Deene
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  3. Benedicte Descamps
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  4. Koen Paemeleire
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  5. Eric Achten
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Correspondence to Eric Achten.

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Reyngoudt, H., De Deene, Y., Descamps, B. et al. 1H-MRS of brain metabolites in migraine without aura: absolute quantification using the phantom replacement technique. Magn Reson Mater Phy 23, 227–241 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-010-0221-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10334-010-0221-z

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