Long-term follow-up of cerebral infarction patients with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy

spectroscopy it is possible to measure the content of various brain metabolites in vivo, including N-acetylaspartate (which may be used as a neuronal marker), creatine, choline, and lactate. The content of these brain metabolites was measured serially from the acute stage to the chronic stage of infarction. Regional cerebral blood flow was also measured within the affected areas. These factors were compared with the clinical outcome. Methods Six patients with ischemic stroke were examined serially from the acute stage ( s 2 days) to the chronic stage (>6 months) with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Cerebral blood flow was measured with single-photon emis-sion-computed tomography with Tc- labeled <i,/-hexamethyl-enepropyleneamine oxime as flow tracer. Results Lactate was found in all patients in the acute stag