Introduction:
Beta-thalassemia major (β-TM) is a transfusion dependent hereditary anaemia. Regular transfusion and effective chelator therapy are increased the life expectancy in this group of patients. Iron chelators are used to prevent transfusion related iron overload which is toxic for all the tissues, especially for heart. However, cardiac problems are still the major mortality reason in β-TM.1-3 Early detection of cardiac iron accumulation helps intensify chelation therapy before heart failure develops. T2* magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive technic for shows myocardial iron overload.4,5
Conventional echocardiography may be insufficient in demonstrating cardiac dysfunction because of diastolic and systolic functions are preserved till the end stage cardiac failure in these patients.6 Therefore, early detection of myocardial dysfunction and modification of treatment is important for preventing the progression of end stage heart failure and lethal arrhythmias.7 Tissue Doppler (TD) imaging is an echocardiographic based technic, determines myocardial motion abnormality and its shows regional diastolic and systolic velocities. TD imaging allows additional information to detect early myocardial dysfunction compare to conventional echocardiography.8,9
The aim of our study is to compare the TD measurements of our patients with normal conventional echo findings with control group and to investigate the relationship between T2* MRI and TD measurements in patients with thalassemia. Our other aim is to compare TD findings of the patients with no cardiac iron accumulation with the control group.