title: Myocardial iron overload in transfusion-dependent pediatric patients with acute leukemia.
abstract: For patients who regularly receive blood transfusions, cardiac failure is the major cause of death. This is most alarming because it progresses rapidly and is difficult to manage. We present three pediatric patients with acute leukemia whose therapy-induced anemia was treated with different amounts of red blood cell concentrates (RCC). In all patients, a liver iron overload was measured by super-conducting interference device (SQUID) biosusceptometry and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI is a rapid, noninvasive, and widely available method of determining early myocardial iron overload caused by multiple blood transfusion due to anemia during polychemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Medical Faculty Mannheim, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. kiralutz@gmx.net
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lutz
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: von Komorowski
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dürken
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Engelhardt
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Dinter
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000740:Anemia / Q000139:chemically induced; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006486:Hemosiderosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009206:Myocardium / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D065227:Transfusion Reaction; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents