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Comparative Study
. 2019 May-Jun:55:65-70.
doi: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2019.01.012. Epub 2019 Jan 31.

Measurement of the liver iron concentration in transfusional iron overload by MRI R2* and by high-transition-temperature superconducting magnetic susceptometry

Sujit Sheth  1 , Christopher J Allen  2 , David E Farrell  3 , John H Tripp  3 , Ramin Jafari  4 , Yi Wang  5 , Gary M Brittenham  6
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Measurement of the liver iron concentration in transfusional iron overload by MRI R2* and by high-transition-temperature superconducting magnetic susceptometry

Sujit Sheth et al. Clin Imaging. 2019 May-Jun.

Abstract

Purpose: To compare measurement of the liver iron concentration in patients with transfusional iron overload by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), using R2*, and by magnetic susceptometry, using a new high-transitiontemperature (high-Tc; operating at 77 K, cooled by liquid nitrogen) superconducting magnetic susceptometer.

Methods: In 28 patients with transfusional iron overload, 43 measurements of the liver iron concentration were made by both R2* and high-Tc magnetic susceptometry.

Results: Measurements of the liver iron concentration by R2* and high-Tc magnetic susceptometry were significantly correlated when comparing all patients (Pearson's r = 0.91, p < 0.0001) and those with results by susceptometry >7 mg Fe/g liver, dry weight (r = 0.93, p = 0.006). In lower ranges of liver iron, no significant correlations between the two methods were found (0 to <3.2 mg Fe/g liver, dry weight: r = 0.2, p = 0.37; 3.2 to 7 mg Fe/g liver, dry weight: r = 0.41; p = 0.14).

Conclusion: The lack of linear correlation between R2* and magnetic susceptibility measurements of the liver iron concentration with minimal or modest iron overload may be due to the effects of fibrosis and other cellular pathology that interfere with R2* but do not appreciably alter magnetic susceptibility.

Keywords: High-transition-temperature superconductors; Liver iron concentration; MRI; Magnetic susceptometry; R2*; Superconducting transition temperature.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The new high-transition-temperature (high-Tc; operating at 77°K, cooled by liquid nitrogen) superconducting magnetic susceptometer, set up to measure the susceptibility of a solid polyethylene cylinder with respect to water. The principal components of the system are the support bed (front), data acquisition electronics (left rear), susceptometer module, polyethylene cylinder and water bellows (center), and support gantry (center, rear).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Relationships between liver iron concentration (LIC) determined by MRI R2* and by high-transition-temperature (high-Tc; operating at 77°K, cooled by liquid nitrogen) magnetic susceptometry (left panels), and Bland-Altman plots of the percent difference between the R2* and susceptometric measurements and their average (right panels). A. All patients. B. Patients with LIC by susceptometry >7 mg Fe/g dry weight C. Patients with LIC by susceptometry >3.2 - 7 mg Fe/g dry weight. D. Patients with LIC by susceptometry 0 to 3.2 mg Fe/g dry weight
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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