Hepatic Iron Deposition on Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Correlation with Inflammatory Activity

PURPOSES: To define the relation between pathologic inflammatory activity and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) grades of iron deposition in patients with liver cirrhosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 53 patients with biopsy-proven liver cirrhosis, T2*-weighted gradient echo MRI (echo time > or =6 milliseconds) was reviewed. Grading of parenchymal iron deposition and siderotic nodules in the liver and liver-to-skeletal muscle signal intensity ratios were compared with pathologically defined inflammatory activity. RESULTS: The MRI grade of hepatic siderotic nodules correlated significantly with the grade of periportal inflammation (r = 0.301, P < 0.05) but not with the grade of piecemeal necrosis. The grade of parenchymal iron deposition was not correlated with the grade of periportal inflammation or piecemeal necrosis. There was a nonsignificant trend toward correlation between the histologic grade of hepatic iron content and the grades of periportal inflammation and piecemeal necrosis. CONCLUSION: MRI grading of siderotic nodules correlates with inflammatory activity in cirrhotic patients.