Case of the Week
Section Editors: Matylda Machnowska1 and Anvita Pauranik2
1University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2BC Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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February 24, 2014
(Secondary) Hemochromatosis
- Hemochromatosis refers to iron overload, which results from a hereditary/primary cause or from a metabolic/hematologic disorder. Organs commonly affected by hemochromatosis include the liver, heart, and endocrine glands. In the brain, iron deposition is typically seen at sites outside the blood-brain barrier, which include the pituitary gland, choroid plexus, pineal gland, and area postrema.
- Key Diagnostic Features: Increased iron load will result in increased susceptibility. This can be seen on T2WI but still better on gradient-echo or susceptibility-weighted images. Thus, increased susceptibility involving the 4 p’s—the pituitary gland, choroid plexus, pineal gland, and area postrema—should suggest hemochromatosis. In the current case, hemochromatosis occurred secondary to iron overload from blood transfusions for thalassemia.
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