Antonella Meloni1, Daniele De Marchi1, Laura Pistoia1, Emanuele Grassedonio2, Giuseppe Peritore3, Paolo Preziosi4, Gennaro Restaino5, Riccardo Righi6, Ada Riva7, Stefania Renne8, Nicolò Schicchi9, Antonino Vallone10, Angelo Peluso11, Calogera Gerardi12, Vincenzo Positano1, Alessia Pepe13. 1. Magnetic Resonance Imaging Unit, Fondazione G. Monasterio CNR-Regione Toscana, Area della Ricerca S. Cataldo, Via Moruzzi, 1 -, 56124, Pisa, Italy. 2. Sezione di Scienze Radiologiche - Dipartimento di Biopatologia e Biotecnologie Mediche, Policlinico "Paolo Giaccone", Palermo, Italy. 3. Unità Operativa Complessa di Radiologia, "ARNAS" Civico, Di Cristina Benfratelli, Palermo, Italy. 4. Unità Operativa Complessa Diagnostica per Immagini, Ospedale "Sandro Pertini", Rome, Italy. 5. Dipartimento di Immagini, Fondazione di Ricerca e Cura "Giovanni Paolo II", Campobasso, Italy. 6. Diagnostica per Immagini e Radiologia Interventistica, Ospedale del Delta, Lagosanto, FE, Italy. 7. Struttura Complessa di Radiologia, Ospedale "SS. Annunziata" ASL Taranto, Taranto, Italy. 8. Struttura Complessa di Cardioradiologia-UTIC, Presidio Ospedaliero "Giovanni Paolo II", Lamezia Terme, Italy. 9. Dipartimento di Radiologia, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Ospedali Riuniti "Umberto I-Lancisi-Salesi", Ancona, Italy. 10. Reparto di Radiologia, Azienda Ospedaliera "Garibaldi" - Presidio Ospedaliero Nesima, Catania, Italy. 11. Struttura Semplice di Microcitemia, Ospedale "SS. Annunziata" ASL Taranto, Taranto, Italy. 12. Unità Operativa Semplice di Talassemia, Presidio Ospedaliero "Giovanni Paolo II" - Distretto AG2 di Sciacca, Sciacca, AG, Italy. 13. Magnetic Resonance Imaging Unit, Fondazione G. Monasterio CNR-Regione Toscana, Area della Ricerca S. Cataldo, Via Moruzzi, 1 -, 56124, Pisa, Italy. alessia.pepe@ftgm.it.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To assess the transferability of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) multislice multiecho T2* technique for pancreatic iron overload assessment. METHODS: Multiecho T2* sequences were installed on ten 1.5-T MRI scanners of the three main vendors. Five healthy subjects (n = 50) were scanned at each site. Five patients with thalassemia (n = 45) were scanned locally at each site and were rescanned at the reference site within 1 month. T2* images were analyzed using a previously validated software and the global pancreatic T2* value was calculated as the mean of T2* values over the head, body, and tail. RESULTS: T2* values of healthy subjects were above 26 ms and showed inter-site homogeneity. The T2* values measured in the MRI sites were comparable to the correspondent values observed in the reference site (12.02 ± 10.20 ms vs 11.98 ± 10.47 ms; p = 0.808), and the correlation coefficient was 0.978 (p < 0.0001). Coefficients of variation (CoVs) ranged from 4.22 to 9.77%, and the CoV for all the T2* values independently from the sites was 8.55%. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for each MRI site was always excellent and the global ICC was 0.995, independently from the sites. The mean absolute difference in patients with pancreatic iron (n = 39) was -0.15 ± 1.38 ms. CONCLUSION: The gradient-echo T2* MRI technique is an accurate and reproducible means for the quantification of pancreatic iron and may be transferred among MRI scanners by different vendors in several centers. KEY POINTS: • The gradient-echo T2* MRI technique is an accurate and reproducible means for the quantification of pancreatic iron. • The gradient-echo T2* MRI technique for the quantification of pancreatic iron may be transferred among MRI scanners by different vendors in several centers. • Pancreatic iron might serve as an early predictor of cardiac siderosis and is the strongest overall predictor of glucose dysregulation.
OBJECTIVES: To assess the transferability of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) multislice multiecho T2* technique for pancreatic iron overload assessment. METHODS: Multiecho T2* sequences were installed on ten 1.5-T MRI scanners of the three main vendors. Five healthy subjects (n = 50) were scanned at each site. Five patients with thalassemia (n = 45) were scanned locally at each site and were rescanned at the reference site within 1 month. T2* images were analyzed using a previously validated software and the global pancreatic T2* value was calculated as the mean of T2* values over the head, body, and tail. RESULTS: T2* values of healthy subjects were above 26 ms and showed inter-site homogeneity. The T2* values measured in the MRI sites were comparable to the correspondent values observed in the reference site (12.02 ± 10.20 ms vs 11.98 ± 10.47 ms; p = 0.808), and the correlation coefficient was 0.978 (p < 0.0001). Coefficients of variation (CoVs) ranged from 4.22 to 9.77%, and the CoV for all the T2* values independently from the sites was 8.55%. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for each MRI site was always excellent and the global ICC was 0.995, independently from the sites. The mean absolute difference in patients with pancreatic iron (n = 39) was -0.15 ± 1.38 ms. CONCLUSION: The gradient-echo T2* MRI technique is an accurate and reproducible means for the quantification of pancreatic iron and may be transferred among MRI scanners by different vendors in several centers. KEY POINTS: • The gradient-echo T2* MRI technique is an accurate and reproducible means for the quantification of pancreatic iron. • The gradient-echo T2* MRI technique for the quantification of pancreatic iron may be transferred among MRI scanners by different vendors in several centers. • Pancreatic iron might serve as an early predictor of cardiac siderosis and is the strongest overall predictor of glucose dysregulation.
Entities:
Keywords:
Iron overload; Magnetic resonance imaging; Pancreas
Authors: Antonella Meloni; Laura Pistoia; Paolo Ricchi; Maria Caterina Putti; Maria Rita Gamberini; Liana Cuccia; Giuseppe Messina; Francesco Massei; Elena Facchini; Riccardo Righi; Stefania Renne; Giuseppe Peritore; Vincenzo Positano; Filippo Cademartiri Journal: J Pers Med Date: 2022-03-04