International reproducibility of single breathhold T2* MR for cardiac and liver iron assessment among five thalassemia centers.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the reproducibility of the single breathhold T2* technique from different scanners, after installation of standard methodology in five international centers.


METHODS
Up to 10 patients from each center were scanned twice locally for local interstudy reproducibility of heart and liver T2*, and then flown to a central MR facility to be rescanned on a reference scanner for intercenter reproducibility. Interobserver reproducibility for all scans was also assessed.


RESULTS
Of the 49 patients scanned, the intercenter reproducibility for T2* was 5.9% for the heart and 5.8% for the liver. Local interstudy reproducibility for T2* was 7.4% for the heart and 4.6% for the liver. Interobserver reproducibility for T2* was 5.4% for the heart and 4.4% for the liver.


CONCLUSIONS
These data indicate that T2* MR may be developed into a widespread test for tissue siderosis providing that well-defined and approved imaging and analysis techniques are used.
Kirk
Paul
P
Imperial College and Royal Brompton Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
He
Taigang
T
Anderson
Lisa J
LJ
Roughton
Michael
M
Tanner
Mark A
MA
Lam
Wynnie W M
WW
Au
Wing Y
WY
Chu
Winnie C W
WC
Chan
Godfrey
G
Galanello
Renzo
R
Matta
Gildo
G
Fogel
Mark
M
Cohen
Alan R
AR
Tan
Ru San
RS
Chen
Kevin
K
Ng
Ivy
I
Lai
Angie
A
Fucharoen
Suthat
S
Laothamata
Jiraporn
J
Chuncharunee
Suporn
S
Jongjirasiri
Sutipong
S
Firmin
David N
DN
Smith
Gillian C
GC
Pennell
Dudley J
DJ
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D019190:Iron Overload / Q000473:pathology*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D015588:Observer Variation; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000097:blood*
D007501:Iron