Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in a case of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis is an encephalopathy caused by a persistent measles virus infection. We examined a 13-year-old girl with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis and performed a magnetic resonance spectroscopic study to evaluate the in vivo pathophysiologic abnormality. The results suggested the occurrence of inflammatory processes and glial proliferation prior to neuronal loss even in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-negative regions as well as in MRI-positive regions. The additional resonance peaks were also detected, but further studies should be performed to determine the precise pathophysiologic mechanisms. Novel in vivo modalities such as spectroscopy would be useful as a tool to measure responses to therapy.