Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy of Normal Breast Tissues in Women Volunteers

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a diagnostic technique in MRI that distinguishes various metabolites on the basis of their slightly different chemical shifts or resonance frequencies. The Proton is the most abundant nucleus in the body. We will try to establish the typical proton MRS pattern of normal women breasts to be a guideline for future further investigations.

There are few reports regarding proton MRS in normal female breasts. The fibroglandular tissues and fat are the two major gross components in the breast. The water content in the fibroglandular tissues is much higher than that in the fat. There is still no documented report discussing proton MRS in normal female breasts of premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Our study is to evaluate the proton MRS findings among normal premenopausal and postmenopausal women breasts, to find out if there are statistical differences on the main proton MRS patterns, water and lipid peak intensities and ratios between the two groups.

Inclusion Criteria:

• women age ranged 30 years of age or older, with normal mammograms or ultrasound in recent 3 months

Exclusion Criteria:

• any women not fulfilling the inclusion criteria