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)(*)qMRl) 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) ratios were correlated with serum ferritin concentration (SFC) levels for all patients. Significant differences in myocardial and liver mean 72, 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)(*)qMRl technique.