Assessment of cardiac and liver iron overload by magnetic resonance imaging in patients with thalassemia major: short-term follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to assess cardiac and hepatic iron overload in young patients with thalassemia. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of patients with thalassemia at a pediatric hematology clinic who had recently undergone cardiac and hepatic magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Eleven patients underwent cardiac and hepatic T2* imaging at a mean age of 13.9 ± 4.48 (range, 9-21) years. Three patients had cardiac iron overload and all patients had hepatic iron overload according to the magnetic resonance imaging scan. Ten patients underwent control imaging approximately 1 year later. The mean serum ferritin level at the initial imaging examination was 1820.87 ± 1275.22 (range, 634.04-4221.03) ng/mL. There was a strong negative correlation between the ferritin level and cardiac T2* time and between the blood hemoglobin level and hepatic T2* time. Among the 10 patients who underwent control imaging, the average hemoglobin and ferritin levels significantly decreased from the initial to control imaging examinations, but there was no significant increase in the cardiac and hepatic T2*times. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac and hepatic T2* imaging is a feasible method of assessing cardiac and hepatic iron overload even before complications and clinical signs of iron overload appear.

Prevalence of elastofibroma dorsi on CT: Is it really an uncommon entity?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, demographic data of elastofibroma dorsi (ED) in adult population who had undergone chest CT examination and to discuss clinical, and radiological presentations, and treatment options of ED. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 4074 chest CT examinations for ED from July 2014 to April 2015. Lesion size, side, and patient demographics were analyzed for positive cases of ED. The initial radiology reports of patients with ED were also reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 4074 patients, 111 patients (2.73%) (77 women and 34 men; mean age: 68.2 years; range: 35-91 years) had a total of 168 ED. The females had a 1.96 -fold higher prevalence of ED than the males (OR, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.481-2.59). The mean lesion thickness was found to be significantly greater in the female patients compared with the male patients (p = 0.001). The prevalence of the disease was estimated to be 4.98 times higher in patients aged 65 years or older (CI 95%, 3.25-7.36). In 111 ED patients, the lesions were only noted in 9 patients' initial radiology report. CONCLUSION: Here, we present a prevalence study with the largest population in the literature concerning ED. Our study shows that ED is not as uncommon as previously thought and should be especially suspected in females and older age groups. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, Diagnostic Study.