T-2 relaxation rate of basal ganglia and cortex in patients with beta-thalassaemia major

In thalassaemic patients, neurophysiological disturbances have been associa ted with high serum ferritin levels and desferrioxamine therapy. In the pre sence of a magnetic field, ferritin, the main iron storage protein, induces a preferential decrease of the T? relaxation time. The purpose of this stu dy was to evaluate thalassaemic patients for brain iron deposition by asses sing the T-2 relaxation rate (1/T-2) of the grey matter. 41 thalassaemic pa tients (age range 8.5-44 years, mean 24 years) and 58 age- and sex-matched controls were included in the study. Current serum ferritin levels were obt ained. The 1/T-2 values of the cortex (motor and temporal) (mean 0.0122 ms( -1), SD 0.0004), putamen (mean 0.0137 ms(-1), SD 0.0004) and caudate nucleu s (mean 0.0132 ms(-1), SD 0.0003) were higher in patients compared with the controls (mean 0.0110 ms(-1), SD 0.0004; mean 0.0120 ms(-1), SD 0.0005; me an 0.0117 ms(-1), SD 0.0003, respectively) (p <0.001 for all parameters). N o statistically significant differences were found in the globus pallidus. No correlation was found between 1/T-2 and serum ferritin. The higher value s of 1/T-2 in the cortex, putamen and caudate nucleus of thalassaemic patie nts probably reflect a higher iron deposition. The lack of differences in 1 /T-2 of the globus pallidus might suggest that even in thalassaemic patient s iron cannot exceed a saturation level.