Liver Iron Content Determined with Minimal MR Scan Time

Arthur Wunderlich¹, Holger Cario², Markus Juchems¹

To establish an MR method for determining liver iron content (LIC), we investigated 173 patients with protocols according to three published methods, two using gradient echo (GRE) sequences and one working with spin echo (SE). The latter served as reference. Since deviations between calculated LIC values occurred, we performed multiple linear regressions on signal intensity values of different GRE protocols to get an improved relation. We showed that in our patients for LIC values up to 300 mol/g a single GRE measurement gives results with good correlation to values determined with SE. For higher LIC, more GRE protocols are needed.