Headache in beta-thalassemia: An Italian multicenter clinical, conventional MRI and MR-angiography case-control study.

Objectives: A strikingly increased headache prevalence was recently noted in Sri Lankan beta-thalassemia patients, raising several concerns regarding long-term neurological involvement in this condition.

Methods: We interviewed on headache occurrence and characteristics 102 Italian beta-thalassemia patients and 129 healthy controls. 3T-MRI, MR-angiography, MR-venography, cognitive and psychiatric findings were considered.

Brain iron content in systemic iron overload: A beta-thalassemia quantitative MRI study.

Objective: Multisystem iron poisoning is a major concern for long-term beta-thalassemia management. Quantitative MRI-based techniques routinely show iron overload in heart, liver, endocrine glands and kidneys. However, data on the brain are conflicting and monitoring of brain iron content is still matter of debate.

No evidence of increased cerebrovascular involvement in adult neurologically-asymptomatic β-Thalassaemia. A multicentre multimodal magnetic resonance study.

Multi-factorial causes jeopardize brain integrity in β-thalassaemia. Intracranial parenchymal and vascular changes have been reported among young β-thalassaemia patients but conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings are contradictory making early MRI and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)/venography monitoring a matter of debate. This study prospectively investigated 75 neurologically asymptomatic β-thalassaemia patients (mean-age 35·2 ± 10·7 years; 52/75 transfusion-dependent; 41/75 splenectomised) using a 3T magnetic resonance scanner; clinical, laboratory and treatment data were also collected.