Abstract
Purpose
Few studies of renal iron content have been performed with multiecho gradient-echo (ME–GRE) T2* magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We assessed the feasibility and reproducibility of ME–GRE T2* MRI for measuring regional and global renal T2* values, and established the lower limits of normal in healthy subjects, also correlating the measured values with age and sex.
Methods
Twenty consecutive healthy subjects (13 men and 7 women, mean age 29.1 ± 7.2 years, range 19–42 years) underwent MRI examinations using a 1.5 T magnet and an ME–GRE T2* sequence. For each kidney, T2* was measured in anterior, posterolateral, and posteromedial renal parenchymal regions. The mean T2* value was calculated as the average of the two kidneys T2* values.
Results
For the mean kidney T2* value, the coefficients of variation for intra- and inter-operator reproducibility were 1.76% and 6.23%, respectively. The lower limit of normal for the mean kidney T2* value was 31 ms (median 51.39 ± 10.09). There was no significant difference between left and right kidney T2* values (p = 0.578). No significant correlation was found between T2* values and subjects’ age or sex.
Conclusions
Renal ME-GRE T2* appears to be a feasible and reproducible technique. The renal T2* values showed no dependence on sex or age.
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Acknowledgments
We thank all the healthy subjects for their cooperation. We also thank Claudia Santarlasci for her skillful secretarial work.
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Emanuele Grassedonio and Antonella Meloni have contributed equally to this article.
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Grassedonio, E., Meloni, A., Positano, V. et al. Quantitative T2* magnetic resonance imaging for renal iron overload assessment: normal values by age and sex. Abdom Imaging 40, 1700–1704 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-015-0395-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-015-0395-y