NMR spectroscopy for clinical medicine. Animal models and clinical examples.

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy is able to measure noninvasively a variety of important metabolites involved in cell energetics. These include phosphocreatine, ATP, inorganic phosphate, pH, and lactate. Anoxia, ischemia, and infarction produce rapid loss of high-energy phosphates and accumulation of hydrolysis products. Many animal studies have shown that MRS monitors metabolic changes in various models of human disease. The availability of large, high field magnets and the development of noninvasive localization techniques permits MRS to be performed on selected volumes within the body. It is now clear that MRS in humans will be immediately useful in several areas including studies of malignancy, ischemia, and infarction of various organs and metabolic disorders. It is expected that human MRS will be increasingly used for clinical investigation and eventually for medical diagnosis.