Assessment of hepatic and cardiac iron overload in thalassemia patients by magnetic resonance imaging: Our experience in Alexandria University

Abstract

Aim of the studyThe aim of this study was to assess the utility of MRI as a non-invasive technique for grading of the hepatic and cardiac iron overload in Thalassemia patients in a cohort of patients in Alexandria, Egypt. Patients and methodsThe study included 80 known patient with Thalassemia on repeated blood transfusion referred from internal medicine department (hematology unit) to the radiology department at Alexandria main university hospital. A 1.5-Tesla MR scanner was used (Achieva; Philips Medical Systems, the Netherlands) equipped with a standard five-element synergy cardiac coil. ResultsThe myocardial iron overload among our cases were as follow: 73 cases (91.3%) with no overload, 5 cases (6.3%) with mild overload, one case (1.3%) with moderate overload and also only one case (1.3%) with sever iron overload. The hepatic iron overload among the studied cases were as follow: 20 patients (25%) with no overload, two patients (2.5%) were upper normal overload, 9 cases (11.3%) with mild overload, 47 patients (58.8%) with moderate overload and only two patients (2.5%) with sever overload. ConclusionMost thalassemia major patients in our study, who had no regular chelation therapy, had hepatic iron overload, less frequently myocardial iron overload.