Magnetic resonance imaging T2* of the pancreas value using an online software tool and correlate with T2* value of myocardium and liver among patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia major

OBJECTIVE: Patients with thalassemia major do require lifetime blood transfusions that eventually result in iron accumulation in different organs. We described the usefulness of using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2*imaging values for the evaluation of pancreatic iron load in these patients, and we correlated it with MRI T2* haemosiderosis of the myocardium and liver that has been recognized as a non-invasive assessment of iron overload among patients with thalassemia major.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study on 39 patients with thalassemia major in one of the tertiary university hospitals for a 1-year period. Demographic data were collected from the patient's history. MRI T2* of the pancreas, liver, and heart were executed on all patients in the same setting. Objective values of iron overload in these organs were obtained using the MRI post-processing software from online software.

RESULTS: A total of 32 (82.1%) patients had pancreatic iron overload including 2 patients (5.1%) with severe iron overload and 15 patients (38.5%) with moderate and mild iron overload, respectively. Nine patients (23.1%) had myocardial iron overload, which included 3 patients (7.7%) who had severe cardiac haemosiderosis. Notably, 37 patients (94.9%) had liver iron overload, which included 15 patients (38.5%) who had severe liver haemosiderosis. There was a moderate positive correlation between the relaxation time of the pancreas and heart haemosiderosis (r = 0.504, P < 0.001). No significant correlation was found between the relaxation time of the pancreas with the liver and the heart with the liver.

CONCLUSION: Pancreatic haemosiderosis precedes cardiac haemosiderosis, which establishes a basis for initiating earlier iron chelation therapy to patients with thalassemia major.