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Assessment of liver iron overload by 3 T MRI

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Abdominal Radiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the performance and limitations of the signal intensity ratio method for quantifying liver iron overload at 3 T.

Methods

Institutional review board approval and written informed consent from all participants were obtained. One hundred and five patients were included prospectively. All patients underwent a liver biopsy with biochemical assessment of hepatic iron concentration and a 3 T MRI scan with 5 breath-hold single-echo gradient-echo sequences. Linear correlation between liver-to-muscle signal intensity ratio and liver iron concentration was calculated. The algorithm for calculating magnetic resonance hepatic iron concentration was adapted from the method described by Gandon et al. with echo times divided by 2. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated.

Results

Five patients were excluded (coil selection failure or missing sequence) and 100 patients were analyzed, 64 men and 36 women, 52 ± 13.3 years old, with a biochemical hepatic iron concentration range of 0–630 µmol/g. Linear correlation between biochemical hepatic iron concentration and MR-hepatic iron concentration was excellent with a correlation coefficient = 0.96, p < 0.0001. Sensitivity and specificity were, respectively, 83% (0.70–0.92) and 96% (0.85–0.99), with a pathological threshold of 36 µmol/g.

Conclusion

Signal intensity ratio method for quantifying liver iron overload can be used at 3 T with echo times divided by 2.

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Abbreviations

MRI:

Magnetic resonance imaging

NAFLD:

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

DIOS:

Dysmetabolic iron overload syndrome (DIOS)

B-HIC:

Biochemical hepatic iron concentration

SIR:

Signal intensity ratio

GRE:

Echo gradient-echo

TE:

Echo time

ROI:

Region of interest

MR-HIC:

MRI hepatic iron quantification

ROC:

Receiver operating characteristic

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Acknowledgements

We received support from the national clinical research program for public hospitals of France. Thanks to Tracey Westcott for the language help. Thanks to Aude Tavenard and Jeff Morcet for the statistical analysis. Thanks to all the MRI team of University Hospital of Rennes.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Digestive Unit, Department of Radiology, Hôpital Pontchaillou, Rennes University Hospital, 2 rue H. Le Guilloux, 35033, Rennes, France

    A Paisant, A. Boulic, G. d’Assignies & Y. Gandon

  2. Hepatic Disease Unit, Clinical investigation center, Hôpital Pontchaillou, Rennes University Hospital, CIC INSERM 1414, 2 rue H. Le Guilloux, 35033, Rennes, France

    A Paisant, E. Bardou-Jacquet, F. Lainé & Y. Gandon

  3. Department of Hepatology, Rennes University Hospital, 2 rue H. Le Guilloux, 35033, Rennes, France

    E. Bardou-Jacquet & F. Lainé

  4. INSERM UMR991, Rennes University Hospital, 2 rue H. Le Guilloux, 35033, Rennes, France

    E. Bardou-Jacquet

  5. VisAGeS U746 Unit/Project, INSERM/INRIAIRISA, UMR CNRS 6074, University of Rennes 1, Beaulieu Campus, 35042, Rennes, France

    E. Bannier

  6. LTSI, INSERM U1099, University of Rennes 1, Beaulieu Campus, 35042, Rennes, France

    G. d’Assignies, B. Turlin & Y. Gandon

  7. Department of Pathology, Rennes University Hospital, 2 rue H. Le Guilloux, 35033, Rennes, France

    B. Turlin

  8. Department of Radiology, Rennes University Hospital, 2 rue H. Le Guilloux, 35033, Rennes, France

    E. Bannier

  9. Service d’anatomie et de cytologie, Hôpital Pontchaillou, CHU Rennes, 2 rue H. Le Guilloux, 35033, Rennes, France

    B. Turlin

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  1. A Paisant
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  8. Y. Gandon
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Y. Gandon.

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Funding

This study was funded by the national clinical research program for public hospitals of France.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Cite this article

Paisant, A., Boulic, A., Bardou-Jacquet, E. et al. Assessment of liver iron overload by 3 T MRI. Abdom Radiol 42, 1713–1720 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-017-1077-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-017-1077-8

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