title: Magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of iron overload: a comparison of MRI, echocardiography and serum ferritin level in patients with β-thalassemia major.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to evaluate iron levels in cardiac and hepatic tissues using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2*.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cardiac and hepatic MRI was performed for 93 patients with β-thalassemia major.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cardiac T2* was in the range of 2.9-56.6 ms. Myocardial siderosis was detected in 44% of patients; 25 patients had moderate and severe siderosis with serum ferritin level (SFL) of 576-10,284 ng/ml. There was a significant correlation between SFL and cardiac T2* (p<.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The effective role of MRI as a noninvasive producible method in measurement of iron concentration in tissues is not accessible with conventional techniques.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Mofid Children's Hospital, Shahid Beheshti Medical University, Tehran, Iran. shahinshamsian@gmail.com
authors.forename: Bibi Shahin
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Shamsian
authors.forename: Shadi Abdar
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Esfahani
authors.forename: Hani
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Milani
authors.forename: Shahram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akhlaghpoor
authors.forename: Saeid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mojtahedzadeh
authors.forename: Abdollah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Karimi
authors.forename: Ahmad Reza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Shamshiri
authors.forename: Samin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alavi
authors.forename: Alieh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Safari
authors.forename: Nima
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rezaei
authors.forename: Mohammad Taghi
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Arzanian
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001706:Biopsy; D015913:Chelation Therapy; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D004452:Echocardiography; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D019190:Iron Overload / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000628:therapy; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005293:Ferritins