Comparing in Vivo T2* and T2 Measurements in Tissues of Liver and Heart in Thalassemia

Taigang He He¹, Gillian C. Smith¹, Raad H. Mohiaddin¹, David N. Firmin¹, Dudley J. Pennell¹

This study aims at determining the intrinsic T2*/T2 relationship in thalassemia patients (N=50) and compare this relationship in the tissues of liver and heart. Multi-echo T2* and T2 images were separately acquired in the heart and consequently in the liver. It demonstrates that hepatic T2 correlated linearly with T2* in patients with iron overload, suggesting that both can be used for assessing iron overload. This relationship between T2* and T2 in the liver, however, appears different from that in the myocardium, suggesting the calibration results of T2*/T2 against biopsy in the liver may not be directly transferred to the heart.