Use of fat suppression in R₂ relaxometry with MRI for the quantification of tissue iron overload in beta-thalassemic patients.

Purpose: To assess the performance and results of R(2) relaxometry using a fat-suppressed (FS) multiecho sequence and compare these to conventional R(2) relaxometry in estimating tissue iron overload.

Materials And Methods: Relaxation rate values (R(2)=1/T2) of the liver, spleen, pancreas and vertebral bone marrow (VBM) were estimated in 21 patients with β-thalassemia major, using a respiratory-triggered 16-echo Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill (CPMG) spin-echo sequence before (R(2)) and after (R(2) FS) the application of chemically selective fat suppression.

Results: Hepatic and splenic R(2) FS values correlated with respective R(2) values (r=0.