What does pancreatic iron deposition look like on MRI, and what is the major cause?
On MRI, iron deposition leads to low signal intensity of the pancreatic parenchyma on in-phase T1-weighted images compared to out-of-phase T1-weighted images. The major cause of pancreatic iron deposition is primary (genetic) hemochromatosis, which is an autosomal recessive disorder in which abnormal iron metabolism results in iron deposition in the liver and sometimes in the pancreas or myocardium. There is absence of iron deposition in the spleen or bone marrow, which instead would be seen in the setting of secondary hemosiderosis related to multiple blood transfusions, chronic hemodialysis, or hemolytic anemias.
