M França1, L Martí-Bonmatí2, G Porto3, S Silva4, S Guimarães5, Á Alberich-Bayarri2, J R Vizcaíno6, H Pessegueiro Miranda7. 1. Imaging Department - Centro Hospitalar do Porto, Largo Prof Abel Salazar, 4099-001 Porto, Portugal; i3S, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, IBMC, Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, Rua Alfredo Allen, 208, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal. Electronic address: mariamanuela.franca@gmail.com. 2. Radiology Department, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe and Biomedical Imaging Research Group (GIBI230), Av. Fernando Abril Martorell 106 Torre E, 46026 Valencia, Spain. 3. i3S, Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, IBMC, Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, Rua Alfredo Allen, 208, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal; Haematology Department, Centro Hospitalar do Porto, Largo Prof Abel Salazar, 4099-001 Porto, Portugal; Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal. 4. Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal. 5. Pathology Department, Centro Hospitalar de S. João, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal. 6. Pathology Department - Centro Hospitalar do Porto, Largo Prof Abel Salazar, 4099-001 Porto, Portugal. 7. Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar (ICBAS), University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; Liver and Pancreas Transplantation Unit and Medicine Department - Centro Hospitalar do Porto, Largo Prof Abel Salazar, 4099-001 Porto, Portugal; Epidemiology Research Unit (EPIUnit), Institute of Public Health of the University of Porto, Rua das Taipas, 135, 4050-600 Porto, Portugal.
Abstract
AIM: To investigate iron loading within the liver, pancreas, spleen, and bone marrow using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) transverse relaxation rate (R2*), in patients with diffuse liver diseases; to evaluate the relationships between iron accumulation in these tissue compartments; and to assess the association between tissue iron overload and the pattern of hepatic cellular iron distribution (hepatocytes versus Kupffer cells). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-six patients with diffuse liver diseases had MRI-derived R2* values, using a multi-echo chemical-shift encoded MRI sequence, of the liver, pancreas, spleen, and vertebral bone marrow. All patients had liver biopsy samples scored for hepatic iron grading (0-4) and iron cellular distribution (within hepatocytes only or within both hepatocytes and Kupffer cells). RESULTS: Liver R2* increased with histological iron grade (RS=0.58, p<0.001) and correlated with spleen (RS=0.71, p<0.001) and bone marrow R2* (RS=0.66, p<0.001), but not with pancreatic R2* (RS=0.22, p=0.096). Splenic and bone marrow R2* values were also correlated (RS=0.72, p<0.001). Patients with iron inside Kupffer cells had the highest R2* in liver, spleen and bone marrow. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with chronic diffuse liver diseases have concomitant hepatic, splenic, and bone marrow iron loading. The highest hepatic iron scores and iron inside Kupffer cells were associated with the highest splenic and bone marrow deposits, suggesting systemic iron accumulation in the mononuclear phagocytic system.
AIM: To investigate iron loading within the liver, pancreas, spleen, and bone marrow using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) transverse relaxation rate (R2*), in patients with diffuse liver diseases; to evaluate the relationships between iron accumulation in these tissue compartments; and to assess the association between tissue iron overload and the pattern of hepatic cellular iron distribution (hepatocytes versus Kupffer cells). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Fifty-six patients with diffuse liver diseases had MRI-derived R2* values, using a multi-echo chemical-shift encoded MRI sequence, of the liver, pancreas, spleen, and vertebral bone marrow. All patients had liver biopsy samples scored for hepatic iron grading (0-4) and iron cellular distribution (within hepatocytes only or within both hepatocytes and Kupffer cells). RESULTS: Liver R2* increased with histological iron grade (RS=0.58, p<0.001) and correlated with spleen (RS=0.71, p<0.001) and bone marrow R2* (RS=0.66, p<0.001), but not with pancreatic R2* (RS=0.22, p=0.096). Splenic and bone marrow R2* values were also correlated (RS=0.72, p<0.001). Patients with iron inside Kupffer cells had the highest R2* in liver, spleen and bone marrow. CONCLUSIONS:Patients with chronic diffuse liver diseases have concomitant hepatic, splenic, and bone marrow iron loading. The highest hepatic iron scores and iron inside Kupffer cells were associated with the highest splenic and bone marrow deposits, suggesting systemic iron accumulation in the mononuclear phagocytic system.
Authors: Elena P Sorokin; Nicolas Basty; Brandon Whitcher; Yi Liu; Jimmy D Bell; Robert L Cohen; Madeleine Cule; E Louise Thomas Journal: Am J Hum Genet Date: 2022-05-13 Impact factor: 11.043