Noninvasive assessment of iron overload by magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract

The assessment of iron accumulation in the body is important for the diagnosis of iron overload syndrome or planning and monitoring of the chelation therapy. Excessive iron accumulation in the organs leads to their toxic damage and dysfunction. Until recently iron estimation was performed either directly by liver iron concentration and/or indirectly by measuring of serum ferritin level. However, noninvasive iron assessment by Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is more accurate method unlike liver biopsy or serum ferritin level test. In this article, we demonstrate the outlines of non-invasive diagnostics of iron accumulation by MRI and its specifications.