BACKGROUND: For the long-term survival of iron-loaded patients, early and well adjusted treatment with iron chelators is of crucial importance, especially in children. Basis of the adequate treatment are appropriate diagnostic parameters which are capable to monitor the range of the individual iron burden. PATIENTS: In the time period between 1989 and 2001, the status of iron loading was investigated in 1112 patients with post transfusion siderosis. METHODS: The iron concentration in liver and spleen was quantified by SQUID-biosusceptometry. Using these values, the whole body iron stores were calculated. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Based on a large number of patients with secondary siderosis, the benefit of SQUID-biosusceptometry for non-invasive liver iron quantification was evaluated retrospectively. In patients under treatment with deferoxamin, a new therapeutic DFO-index was defined which respects liver iron concentration instead of serum ferritin. This results in a more reliable information about DFO overdosing in a given patient.
