MYOCARDIAL IRON DEPOSITION IN BETA-THALASSEMIA STUDIED BY MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING

Myocardial iron deposition is a common finding in beta-thalassemia. Th e iron content of the myocardium was assessed using the T2 relaxation time of the heart. The T2 relaxation time of the liver and skeletal mu scle was also assessed in order to study the relation of iron depositi on between heart, liver and skeletal muscle. ECG gated spin echo image s were obtained from thirty-eight consecutive adult thalassemic patien ts examined in an outpatient clinic, aged (x+/-SD) 25+/-6 years, using a 0.5 T system. Patients were divided into groups A and B, according to their average serum ferritin levels of the preceding five years (> or < 2000 ng/ml). Results were compared with nine controls, aged 24+/- 7 years. Heart T2 relaxation time in the control group (x+/-SD)(48.3+/ -5.5 msec) was higher compared to group A (28.4+/-6.7 msec, p<0.001) b ut not to group B (43.4+/-7.4 msec). The T2 relaxation time of the hea rt correlated positively with the T2 relaxation time of the liver (r=0 .68, p<0.001) and negatively with ferritin levels (r=-0.67, p<0.001). There was no correlation with the T2 relaxation time of skeletal muscl e. This study indicates that regularly transfused beta-thalassemia pat ients may present with a broad variation of heart iron deposition whic h, however, is related to serum ferritin levels.