Myocardial and liver iron status using a fast T*2 quantitative MRI (T*2qMRI) technique

This work demonstrates the use of a fast and precise methodology for evaluating myocardial and liver iron status in multitransfused thalassemic patients by means of a fast T(2) (*) quantitative MRI (T(2) (*)qMRI) technique. Myocardial and liver T(2) (*) values were calculated in 48 thalassemic patients and 21 normal subjects on a 1.5T MRI system using a breath-hold 2D single-slice multiecho gradient-echo (MEGRE) sequence (16 echoes, TR/TE1/TE16/FA = 160/2.7/37.65 ms/25 degrees ). No ECG gating was used. Myocardial T(2) (*), liver T(2) (*), and myocardial to muscle (CR/MS) and liver to muscle (LV/MS) T(2) (*) ratios were correlated with serum ferritin concentration (SFC) levels for all patients. Significant differences in myocardial and liver mean T(2) (*), CR/MS, and LV/MS T(2) (*) values between patients and normal subjects were found (P < 0.0005). Differences in paraspinous muscle mean T(2) (*) values between patients and normal subjects were not significant. Myocardial T(2) (*) and CR/MS T(2) (*) values were not correlated with SFC levels. Liver T(2) (*) and LV/MS T(2) (*) values were significantly correlated with SFC (r = 0.540, P < 0.0005). Myocardial T(2) (*) and CR/MS T(2) (*) values were not correlated with either liver T(2) (*) or LV/MS T(2) (*) values, respectively. We conclude that myocardial and liver iron deposition can be evaluated using the fast non-ECG-gated T(2) (*)qMRI technique.