title: Liver iron content determined by MRI: spin-echo vs. gradient-echo.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Liver iron content (LIC) measurement plays a central role in the management of patients with transfusional iron overload. Calculating the LIC with data obtained from standardized MRI sequences represents an attractive alternative diagnostic possibility. The purpose of this study was to compare the LIC measurement obtained with gradient-echo (GRE) sequences to the mean liver proton transverse relaxation (R2) acquired with SE sequences.
  
  
  METHODS
  68 patients with iron overload (median age: 24, range: 3-88) underwent 1.5 T MRI for liver iron content measurement. All patients received spin-echo (SE) and gradient-echo (GRE) sequences.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The two MRI methods revealed different liver iron content results although a significant correlation was found (r=0.85, p<0.001). Values evaluated using GRE sequences (median: 260 μmol/g dry weight [d. w.], range: 6-732) were generally higher than those obtained by SE examinations (median: 161 μmol /g d. w., range: 5-830).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, our study revealed different results for both MRI measurements, which could lead to different decisions concerning the management of chelation therapy in individual patients.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Diagnostische und Interventionelle Radiologie, Universitätskliniken Ulm, Ulm, Germany. Markus.Juchems@uni-ulm.de
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Juchems
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cario
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schmid
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Wunderlich
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000032:analysis*; D019190:Iron Overload / Q000175:diagnosis; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007501:Iron