BACKGROUND: A simple, accurate, reproducible and noninvasive method of body iron overload assessment would be of great clinical use. Objective. The purpose of the study was the implementation of a 0. 5-T MRI method for liver iron overload measurement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty patients with thalassemia major took part in the study. Liver and paraspinal muscle signal intensity (SI) measurements were performed on T1-weighted images and normalized on a standard phantom, and a subjective hemochromatosis grading scale was made on both T1- and T2-weighted images. Serum ferritin levels and tissue iron from liver biopsy specimens were determined for comparison. RESULTS: A close correlation was found between bioptic liver iron and both the liver-to-phantom SI ratio (r = -0.88) and the subjective grading scale (rho = 0.89). Serum ferritin correlated poorly with liver iron deposition, whether assessed by biopsy (r = 0. 62) or MRI (r = -0.69). CONCLUSIONS: Both the subjective and the quantitative MRI methods proposed here are clinically valuable, with the former being adequate for a gross, the latter for an accurate estimation of tissue iron overload.
BACKGROUND: A simple, accurate, reproducible and noninvasive method of body iron overload assessment would be of great clinical use. Objective. The purpose of the study was the implementation of a 0. 5-T MRI method for liver iron overload measurement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty patients with thalassemia major took part in the study. Liver and paraspinal muscle signal intensity (SI) measurements were performed on T1-weighted images and normalized on a standard phantom, and a subjective hemochromatosis grading scale was made on both T1- and T2-weighted images. Serum ferritin levels and tissue iron from liver biopsy specimens were determined for comparison. RESULTS: A close correlation was found between bioptic liver iron and both the liver-to-phantom SI ratio (r = -0.88) and the subjective grading scale (rho = 0.89). Serum ferritin correlated poorly with liver iron deposition, whether assessed by biopsy (r = 0. 62) or MRI (r = -0.69). CONCLUSIONS: Both the subjective and the quantitative MRI methods proposed here are clinically valuable, with the former being adequate for a gross, the latter for an accurate estimation of tissue iron overload.
Authors: R J Hernandez; S A Sarnaik; I Lande; A M Aisen; G M Glazer; T Chenevert; W Martel Journal: J Comput Assist Tomogr Date: 1988 Jan-Feb Impact factor: 1.826
Authors: D D Stark; N M Bass; A A Moss; B R Bacon; J H McKerrow; C E Cann; A Brito; H I Goldberg Journal: Radiology Date: 1983-09 Impact factor: 11.105
Authors: J M Gomori; G Horev; H Tamary; J Zandback; L Kornreich; R Zaizov; E Freud; O Krief; J Ben-Meir; H Rotem Journal: Radiology Date: 1991-05 Impact factor: 11.105
Authors: G M Brittenham; D E Farrell; J W Harris; E S Feldman; E H Danish; W A Muir; J H Tripp; E M Bellon Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 1982-12-30 Impact factor: 91.245
Authors: E Rocchi; M Cassanelli; A Borghi; F Paolillo; M Pradelli; G Casalgrandi; A Burani; E Gallo Journal: Hepatology Date: 1993-06 Impact factor: 17.425