Still waiting.....

But till you wait, then check out Reginas story on CHLA website. Some of you have already read it...


http://www.childrenshospitalla.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=ipINKTOAJsG&b=3539111&ct=5433341


And few of you have asked what is MRS....

MR Spectroscopy provides information about the presence and amount of hydrogen protons attached to different cerebral molecular compounds. These protons possess intrinsic differences in resonant frequencies (or chemical shift) due to their differing molecular environment. A spectrum can be generated that corresponds to a scale of resonant frequencies vs amplitude (concentration). Molecular compounds identified within cerebral tissue include N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA, a neuronal marker), choline (a cell membrane marker), creatinine and phosphocreatinine (energy metabolites), and lactate (a by-product of cerebral metabolism).

MR spectroscopy is useful in characterization of brain tumors. Compared to more benign tumors, malignant tumors have an increased rate of membrane turnover (increased level of choline) and a decreased concentration of neurons (decreased NAA). Spectroscopy has had some success in the pre-operative differentiation of various tumor types. More importantly, spectroscopy allows for the non-invasive monitoring of the response of residual tumor to therapy. Finally, spectroscopy can be utilized to differentiate tumor recurrence from tissue necrosis.