MR spectroscopy

This is an invaluable, non-invasive, diagnostic imaging technique that helps in diagnosis and response to treatment of brain tumors or some genetic neurological diseases. It provides information about the biochemical composition of the sampled volume in the brain (or other tissues). This is valuable information which cannot be obtained any other way short of invasive tissue biopsy. In the normal pediatric brain there is a characteristic normal pattern showing the relative concentrations of various biochemical substrates. However, this normal pattern becomes altered in various diseases like brain tumor or some genetic metabolic conditions (such as mitochondrial disorders, some leukodystrophies, creatine deficiency disorders etc.). In some cases, interval change in the metabolic profile of the tissues can also help determine response to the ongoing treatment.