MRI Iron Quantification

T2* and R2* based iron concentration calculation

How to Use

  • Select the organ tab (Heart or Liver) for your measurement
  • Enter your T2* value in milliseconds (ms) or R2* value in Hertz (Hz)
  • The iron concentration will be calculated automatically
  • Results are based on validated calibration formulas from published studies

Cardiac T2*

=
-- mg/g of tissue
"T2* > 20 ms is considered normal" — Anderson 2011

Pennell 2013 (AHA) 3-Tier Risk Model:
T2* > 20 ms: Normal (Low Risk)  |  T2* 10-20 ms: Mild to Moderate (Intermediate Risk)  |  T2* < 10 ms: Severe (High Risk)
References:

1. Pennell, DJ et al. (2013). Cardiovascular function and treatment in β-thalassemia major: AHA Scientific Statement. Circulation, 128, 3:281-308.

2. Anderson, LJ (2011). Assessment of iron overload with T2* magnetic resonance imaging. Prog Cardiovasc Dis, 54, 3:287-94.

3. Carpenter, JP (2011). On T2* magnetic resonance and cardiac iron. Circulation, 123, 14:1519-28.

4. Kirk, P et al. (2009). Cardiac T2* MRI for prediction of cardiac complications in thalassemia major. Circulation, 120, 20:1961-8.

Liver T2* 1.5T

=
-- mg/g
LIC Severity Grading (derived from Wood 2005):
Normal: < 1.8  |  Borderline: 1.8 – < 3.2  |  Mild: 3.2 – < 7.0  |  Moderate: 7.0 – < 15.0  |  Severe: ≥ 15.0 mg/g
Reference:

1. Wood, JC, Enriquez, C, Ghugre, N, Tyzka, JM, Carson, S, Nelson, MD, Coates, TD (2005). MRI R2 and R2* mapping accurately estimates hepatic iron concentration in transfusion-dependent thalassemia and sickle cell disease patients. Blood, 106, 4:1460-5.

Severity thresholds derived from Wood 2005 calibration data.

Liver R2* 1.5T

=
-- mg/g
LIC Severity Grading (derived from Wood 2005):
Normal: < 1.8  |  Borderline: 1.8 – < 3.2  |  Mild: 3.2 – < 7.0  |  Moderate: 7.0 – < 15.0  |  Severe: ≥ 15.0 mg/g
Reference:

1. Wood, JC, Enriquez, C, Ghugre, N, Tyzka, JM, Carson, S, Nelson, MD, Coates, TD (2005). MRI R2 and R2* mapping accurately estimates hepatic iron concentration in transfusion-dependent thalassemia and sickle cell disease patients. Blood, 106, 4:1460-5.

Severity thresholds derived from Wood 2005 calibration data.

Liver T2* 3T

=
-- mg/g
Normal Range: < 1.8 mg/g
Reference:

1. Storey P, Thompson AA, Carqueville CL, Wood JC, de Freitas RA, Rigsby CK. R2* imaging of transfusional iron burden at 3T and comparison with 1.5T. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2007 Mar;25(3):540-7. PubMed PMID: 17326089; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2884049.

Liver R2* 3T

=
-- mg/g
Normal Range: < 1.8 mg/g
Reference:

1. Storey P, Thompson AA, Carqueville CL, Wood JC, de Freitas RA, Rigsby CK. R2* imaging of transfusional iron burden at 3T and comparison with 1.5T. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2007 Mar;25(3):540-7. PubMed PMID: 17326089; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2884049.