title: Noninvasive liver-iron quantification by computed tomography in iron-overloaded rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The benefit of computed tomography (CT) for the noninvasive determination of liver-iron concentration in human iron-overload diseases is a controversy in the literature. To study the sensitivity of CT for liver-iron quantification under experimental conditions, the authors measured single- and dual-energy CT numbers in vivo in the livers of iron-overloaded rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-five rats were subjected to an iron-rich diet for various periods, from 1 to 20 weeks, then scanned by single- and dual-energy CT. CT absorption was correlated to liver-iron content, which was determined by wet ashing and spectrophotometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Whereas a good correlation (r = 0.99 at 96 kV; r = 0.95 at 125 kV) between CT numbers and liver-iron concentration was found, CT was insensitive to low concentrations of iron. Dual-energy CT scanning results showed greater scattering in liver-iron quantification compared with single-energy CT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In rats, the sensitivity of single- and dual-energy CT is too low to quantify liver iron in the diagnostically most relevant region of mild liver siderosis (1-3 mg iron/g wet weight [w.wt]).
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Medizinische Biochemie, Universitätskrankenhaus Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Engelhardt
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Heinrich
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Langkowski
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bücheler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007501:Iron / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D007501:Iron