Determination of iron in cardiac and liver tissues by plasma emission spectroscopy

A simple plasma emission spectroscopic method for the determination of iron in liver and cardiac tissue is described. Using this technique, iron was extracted quantitatively from liver tissue of mass 14.2 to 65.4 mg wet weight, and heart tissue of mass 5.9 to 27.4 mg wet weight. Iron added to liver as aqueous ferric nitrate was recovered in the range 93 to 108%. Reference ranges for liver and myocardial iron on post mortem tissue gave respectively mean values of 0.841 mg/g dry weight (Range 0.310 to 1.600, n = 37) and 0.340 mg/g dry weight (Range 0.290 to 0.470, n = 8). Data on patients with haemochromatosis and transfusion siderosis are also presented.