In vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) study of post polio residual paralysis (PPRP) patients

In-vivo proton MR spectroscopy carried out on post polio residual paralysis (PPRP) patients indicate that the presence or absence of intra-myocellular lipids (IMCL) is related to the severity of the paralysis. It is observed that mildly paralyzed patients are comparable (p > 0.05) with the control subjects in relation to the presence of IMCL, while moderate and severely paralysed patients are comparable (p > 0.05) in relation to the absence of IMCL. In addition, there is reduction or complete absence of creatine, carnitine and choline metabolites in severely paralyzed patients. The ability to detect noninvasively the subtle differences in in vivo, the lipid compartments of muscle may prove to be a valuable tool in understanding the pathogenesis of muscle diseases. This could open up the possibilities in designing effective rehabilitative exercise programs or development of new drug therapies. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.