Cerebral magnetic resonance spectroscopy demonstrates long-term effect of bone marrow transplantation in α-mannosidosis

α-Mannosidosis, OMIM #248500, is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease caused by acidic α-mannosidase deficiency. Treatment options include bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and, possibly in the future, enzyme replacement therapy. Brain magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) enables non-invasive monitoring of cerebral treatment effect. Accumulated cerebral mannose-containing oligosaccharides were demonstrated by MRS in a patient who at age 2 years and 11 months received a BMT from a haploidentical non-carrier sibling. The cerebral mannose-containing oligosaccharides had disappeared as early as 9½ months after BMT. MRS furthermore demonstrated the persistent treatment effect at regular intervals up to 5½ years after BMT. MRS is a non-invasive tool that can demonstrate the effect of BMT treatment. Likewise, MRS may be used to demonstrate the cerebral effect of other potential treatments such as enzyme replacement therapy.