Abstract
Noninvasive measurement of tissue iron levels can be assessed using T2* magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify and monitor patients with iron overload. This study monitored cardiac siderosis using T2* MRI in a cohort of 19 heavily iron-overloaded patients with β-thalassemia major receiving iron chelation therapy with deferasirox over an 18-month period. Overall, deferasirox therapy significantly improved mean ± standard deviation cardiac T2* from a baseline of 17.2±10.8 to 21.5±12.8 ms (+25.0%; P=0.02). A concomitant reduction in median serum ferritin from a baseline of 5,497 to 4,235 ng/mL (-23.0%; P=0.001), and mean liver iron concentration from 24.2±9.0 to 17.6± 12.9 mg Fe/g dry weight (-27.1%; P=0.01) was also seen. Improvements were seen in patients with various degrees of cardiac siderosis, including those patients with a baseline cardiac T2* of <10 ms, indicative of high cardiac iron burden. These findings therefore support previous observations that deferasirox is effective in the removal of myocardial iron with concomitant reduction in total body iron.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 405-409 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Annals of Hematology |
Volume | 89 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Apr 2010 |
Keywords
- Iron chelation
- Iron overload
- Magnetic resonance imaging
- Myocardial iron
- T2*
- β-thalassemia
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Hematology