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Multicenter validation of the magnetic resonance T2* technique for quantification of pancreatic iron

  • Magnetic Resonance
  • Published:
European Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

To assess the transferability of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) multislice multiecho T2* technique for pancreatic iron overload assessment.

Methods

Multiecho T2* sequences were installed on ten 1.5-T MRI scanners of the three main vendors. Five healthy subjects (n = 50) were scanned at each site. Five patients with thalassemia (n = 45) were scanned locally at each site and were rescanned at the reference site within 1 month. T2* images were analyzed using a previously validated software and the global pancreatic T2* value was calculated as the mean of T2* values over the head, body, and tail.

Results

T2* values of healthy subjects were above 26 ms and showed inter-site homogeneity. The T2* values measured in the MRI sites were comparable to the correspondent values observed in the reference site (12.02 ± 10.20 ms vs 11.98 ± 10.47 ms; p = 0.808), and the correlation coefficient was 0.978 (p < 0.0001). Coefficients of variation (CoVs) ranged from 4.22 to 9.77%, and the CoV for all the T2* values independently from the sites was 8.55%. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for each MRI site was always excellent and the global ICC was 0.995, independently from the sites. The mean absolute difference in patients with pancreatic iron (n = 39) was -0.15 ± 1.38 ms.

Conclusion

The gradient-echo T2* MRI technique is an accurate and reproducible means for the quantification of pancreatic iron and may be transferred among MRI scanners by different vendors in several centers.

Key Points

• The gradient-echo T2* MRI technique is an accurate and reproducible means for the quantification of pancreatic iron.

• The gradient-echo T2* MRI technique for the quantification of pancreatic iron may be transferred among MRI scanners by different vendors in several centers.

• Pancreatic iron might serve as an early predictor of cardiac siderosis and is the strongest overall predictor of glucose dysregulation.

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Abbreviations

CoV:

Coefficient of variation

e-MIOT:

Extension-Myocardial Iron Overload in Thalassemia

ICC:

Intraclass correlation coefficient

LIC:

Liver iron concentration

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

ROI:

Region of interest

SD:

Standard deviation

TE:

Echo time

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Acknowledgments

We thank the patients, who gave their availability for two MRI sessions and long-distance travel within a short time. We also thank the healthy volunteers. We thank C.S. (MRI Lab Secretary) for organization skills.

Funding

The authors state that this work has not received any funding.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Magnetic Resonance Imaging Unit, Fondazione G. Monasterio CNR-Regione Toscana, Area della Ricerca S. Cataldo, Via Moruzzi, 1 -, 56124, Pisa, Italy

    Antonella Meloni, Daniele De Marchi, Laura Pistoia, Vincenzo Positano & Alessia Pepe

  2. Sezione di Scienze Radiologiche - Dipartimento di Biopatologia e Biotecnologie Mediche, Policlinico “Paolo Giaccone”, Palermo, Italy

    Emanuele Grassedonio

  3. Unità Operativa Complessa di Radiologia, “ARNAS” Civico, Di Cristina Benfratelli, Palermo, Italy

    Giuseppe Peritore

  4. Unità Operativa Complessa Diagnostica per Immagini, Ospedale “Sandro Pertini”, Rome, Italy

    Paolo Preziosi

  5. Dipartimento di Immagini, Fondazione di Ricerca e Cura “Giovanni Paolo II”, Campobasso, Italy

    Gennaro Restaino

  6. Diagnostica per Immagini e Radiologia Interventistica, Ospedale del Delta, Lagosanto, FE, Italy

    Riccardo Righi

  7. Struttura Complessa di Radiologia, Ospedale “SS. Annunziata” ASL Taranto, Taranto, Italy

    Ada Riva

  8. Struttura Complessa di Cardioradiologia-UTIC, Presidio Ospedaliero “Giovanni Paolo II”, Lamezia Terme, Italy

    Stefania Renne

  9. Dipartimento di Radiologia, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Ospedali Riuniti “Umberto I-Lancisi-Salesi”, Ancona, Italy

    Nicolò Schicchi

  10. Reparto di Radiologia, Azienda Ospedaliera “Garibaldi” - Presidio Ospedaliero Nesima, Catania, Italy

    Antonino Vallone

  11. Struttura Semplice di Microcitemia, Ospedale “SS. Annunziata” ASL Taranto, Taranto, Italy

    Angelo Peluso

  12. Unità Operativa Semplice di Talassemia, Presidio Ospedaliero “Giovanni Paolo II” - Distretto AG2 di Sciacca, Sciacca, AG, Italy

    Calogera Gerardi

Authors
  1. Antonella Meloni
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  2. Daniele De Marchi
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  3. Laura Pistoia
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  4. Emanuele Grassedonio
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  5. Giuseppe Peritore
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  6. Paolo Preziosi
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  7. Gennaro Restaino
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  8. Riccardo Righi
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  9. Ada Riva
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  10. Stefania Renne
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  11. Nicolò Schicchi
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  12. Antonino Vallone
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  13. Angelo Peluso
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  14. Calogera Gerardi
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  15. Vincenzo Positano
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  16. Alessia Pepe
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alessia Pepe.

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Guarantor

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Alessia Pepe.

Conflict of interest

The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies, whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article.

Statistics and biometry

One of the authors has significant statistical expertise.

Informed consent

Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects (patients) in this study.

Ethical approval

Institutional Review Board approval was obtained.

Methodology

• Prospective

• Observational

• Multicenter study

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Meloni, A., De Marchi, D., Pistoia, L. et al. Multicenter validation of the magnetic resonance T2* technique for quantification of pancreatic iron. Eur Radiol 29, 2246–2252 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-018-5783-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-018-5783-6

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