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Heart, Liver, and Pancreas MRI Evaluation of Iron Overload

  • MRI for Pediatric Oncology (H Lederman, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Although the human body has a very well-controlled absorption of iron, it has no effective form of excretion. Excess iron can lead to toxicity because this element can catalyze the conversion of hydrogen peroxide into free radicals, causing damage to the cell membranes, proteins, and DNA. There is a great concern about persistent long-term myocardial iron overload which can lead to cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Also, in the liver, it increases the risk of fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatoma. The signs and symptoms of iron overload are highly nonspecific, and using clinical criteria, it is impossible to predict, at an early stage, which patients are at high risk of dying from iron-related heart failure. The measurement of plasma ferritin provides an indirect estimate of total body iron stores, but the usefulness of this measurement is limited by many common clinical conditions such as inflammation, fever, and liver disease; also, it does not reflect myocardial iron overload. By the other hand, magnetic resonance imaging is a robust noninvasive method to detect tissue iron overload, allowing early diagnosis and treatment, improving survival.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Radiology Department, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Rua Sergipe 605 apt. 73, Sao Paulo, SP, 01243-001, Brazil

    Gilberto Szarf

  2. Radiology Department, Clinics Hospital of the Faculty of Medicine of University of Sao Paulo, Rua Cristiano Viana, 717 apto 44, Sao Paulo, SP, 05411-001, Brazil

    Fernando Uliana Kay

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  1. Gilberto Szarf
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  2. Fernando Uliana Kay
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Correspondence to Gilberto Szarf.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on MRI for Pediatric Oncology.

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Szarf, G., Kay, F.U. Heart, Liver, and Pancreas MRI Evaluation of Iron Overload. Curr Radiol Rep 3, 35 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40134-015-0113-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40134-015-0113-0

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