Hematology

Iliac vein compression syndrome (May-Thurner syndrome) is effectively relieved by endovascular placement of a stent in the left common iliac vein, with greater than 90% stent patency after 1 year. MR imaging is a safe and effective method of evaluating for stent patency, whether as part of routine surveillance, in patients whose leg swelling persists after stent placement, or in the setting of acute left leg edema after stent placement.

Hepatic and myocardial iron quantification can be performed noninvasively with MRI. MRI can quantify a parameter called "T2*", which is an indicator of the amount of iron in the liver and myocardium. The smaller the T2*, the greater then iron deposition. For exams performed on 1.5 Tesla magnets, T2* < 5 milliseconds indicates severe iron overload, 5 < T2* < 10 milliseconds indicates moderate iron overload, 10 < T2* < 20 milliseconds reflects mild overload, and T2* > 20 milliseconds is normal.