Background. MRI has emerged for the noninvasive assessment of
iron overload in various tissues. The aim of this paper is to evaluate hepatic and pancreatic
iron overload by T2(∗) weighted gradient echo MRI in young
beta-thalassemia major patients and to correlate it with
glucose disturbance and postsplenectomy status. Subjects and Methods. 50 thalassemic patients, in addition to 15 healthy controls. All patients underwent clinical assessment and laboratory investigations. Out of 50 thalassemic patients, 37 patients were splenectomized. MRI was performed for all subjects. Results. All patients showed significant reduction in the signal intensity of the liver and the pancreas on T2(∗)GRD compared to controls, thalassemic patients who had abnormal
glucose tolerance; diabetic and
impaired glucose tolerance patients displayed a higher degree of pancreatic and hepatic
siderosis and more T2(∗) drop in their signal intensity than those with normal
blood sugar level. Splenectomized thalassemic patients had significantly lower signal intensity of the liver and pancreas compared to nonsplenectomized patients. Conclusion. T2(∗) gradient echo MRI is noninvasive highly sensitive method in assessing hepatic and pancreatic
iron overload in thalassemic patients, more evident in patients with abnormal
glucose tolerance, and is accelerated in thalassemic splenectomized patients.