Department of Cardiology, St George's University of London, Tooting, London, UK.
Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2011 Nov-Dec;54(3):287-94. doi: 10.1016/j.pcad.2011.07.004.
T2* is a magnetic relaxation property of any tissue and is inversely related to intracellular iron stores. Measurement is simple, quick, and robust and has high reproducibility. The ability to measure ventricular function plus T2* in the heart and liver during the same scan has revolutionized the understanding of iron storage disease and the management of the iron-loaded patient. The early findings using T2* challenged conventional teachings, and both the technique and the findings were initially viewed with scepticism. However, after a decade of work in validating, calibrating, and expanding access to this method, it is now accepted as the method of choice for tissue iron assessment. In the UK, where T2* measurement was first used in the clinical care of patients with thalassemia major, a large and significant fall in mortality has been seen in this patient group.
T2* 是任何组织的一种磁弛豫特性，与细胞内铁储存呈反比。该测量方法简单、快速且稳健，具有高度可重复性。在同一扫描中测量心脏和肝脏的心室功能和 T2* 的能力，彻底改变了对铁储存疾病的认识和对铁负荷患者的管理。使用 T2* 的早期发现挑战了传统的观念，该技术和发现最初受到怀疑。然而，经过十年的验证、校准和扩大该方法的应用，它现在被接受为评估组织铁的首选方法。在英国，T2* 测量首先用于治疗重型地中海贫血患者，该患者群体的死亡率大幅显著下降。
