الفهرس 
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Abstract
Background:Both direct and indirect means for the assessment of body iron are available; no single indicator or combination of indicators is ideal for the evaluation of iron status in all clinical circumstances. The measurement of plasma or serum ferritin is the most commonly used indirect estimate of body iron stores . A variety of studies have been directed at imaging tissue iron by computed tomography, nuclear resonance scattering, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Studies of the correlation obtained between hepatic iron levels determined at biopsy and by magnetic resonance imaging have reported wide confidence intervals. Hence, present MRI techniques do not distinguish patients with dangerous levels of body iron (those with hepatic iron concentrations exceeding 15 mg iron/g dry weight tissue) from those who require standard approaches to chelating therapy (those whose hepatic iron values exceeding 7 but less than 15 mg/g); the overlap between MRI-determined hepatic iron values between the ranges is too great to guide approaches to therapy (Bonkovsky & Rubin, 1999). Aim of work: The work was planned to assess the iron over-load in children with thalassaemia using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) versus laboratory methods Methods: .The study included 22 patients (9 males and 13 females) suffering from different types of Beta thalassaemia. Their ages ranged from 3 years to 18 years. Magnetic resonance imaging of the liver was performed on a 1.5 tesla MRI machine ( Symphony Siemens Medical System, Germany) at MRI unit, Mansoura University Hospital.Results: Results revealed that MRI values had significant correlation with age of first presentation and units of blood received per life which are indicators of iron overload as evidenced by their relation to growth affection and delayed puberty, also their was no significant correlation between serum ferritin and other iron kinetics with age of first presentation or units of blood received per life. This indicates that MRI was more sensitive than serum ferritin or other iron kinetics in detection of iron overload , as well as the usefulness of MRI in screening of the iron status of the body. Results revealed also that there was no significant correlation between MRI values and serum iron, serum TIBC, saturation of serum transferrin also there was no significant correlation between SIR T2, SIR GE values and serum ferritin. Only SIR T1 had significant correlation with serum ferritin and with COSCO score . Results revealed also that MRI in a case of obstructive jaundice failed to demonstrate the parameters of iron overload in spite of the considerable iron overload. Conclusion: from this study we could conclude that: MRI liver is more sensitive than serum ferritin and other iron kinetics in detection of iron overload, but has some limitations such as in cases of obstructive jaundice.