Transfusional hemosiderosis; correlation of MR findings with clinical findings

Parenchymal iron deposition occurs in hemochromatosis, while iron is deposited in reticuloendothelial cells after blood transfusions(Hemosiderosis). We studied correlation between MR finding and clinical findings(serum ferritin, TSI, LFT, disease duration) of hemosiderosis. 12 patients with chronic renal failure and one patient with aplastic anemia, who have received multiple transfusion, were performed MRI with a 2.0 Tesla unit. In all of 13 patients(17 cases), the liver revealed low signal intensity equal to background noise. In 4 of 17 cases whose serum ferritin level was below 1000 ng/ml, pancreas, gastric wall, adrenal gland were involved in 1 case. In 4 cases with serum ferritin level between 1000 and 1500, pancreas was involved in 2 cases, and other organ was involved in 1 case. In 9 cases with serum ferritin level above 1500ng/ml, pancreas was involved in 9 cases, and other origin 4 cases. The MR findings are well correlated with serum ferritin level whereas the TSI, LFT, disease duration are not correlated with involved organ on MR