Assessment of hepatic and cardiac iron overload in thalassemia patients by magnetic resonance imaging: Our experience in Alexandria University

Abstract

Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to assess the utility of MRI as a non-invasive technique for grading of the hepatic and cardiac iron overload in Thalassemia patients in a cohort of patients in Alexandria, Egypt. Patients and methods: The study included 80 known patient with Thalassemia on repeated blood transfusion referred from internal medicine department (hematology unit) to the radiology department at Alexandria main university hospital. A 1.5-Tesla MR scanner was used (Achieva; Philips Medical Systems, the Netherlands) equipped with a standard five-element synergy cardiac coil. Results: The myocardial iron overload among our cases were as follow: 73 cases (91.3%) with no overload, 5 cases (6.3%) with mild overload, one case (1.3%) with moderate overload and also only one case (1.3%) with sever iron overload. The hepatic iron overload among the studied cases were as follow: 20 patients (25%) with no overload, two patients (2.5%) were upper normal overload, 9 cases (11.3%) with mild overload, 47 patients (58.8%) with moderate overload and only two patients (2.5%) with sever overload. Conclusion: Most thalassemia major patients in our study, who had no regular chelation therapy, had hepatic iron overload, less frequently myocardial iron overload.

Keywords

• MRI
• Cardiac iron overload
• Hepatic iron overload
• Thalassemia
• T2∗
• Organ siderosis
• Chelation therapy