FerriScan is available now
“In medical image analysis, speed and accuracy matter”.
What Is FerriScan®?
FerriScan is a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)based
technology for the non-invasive measurement of
liver iron concentrations.
Key features of FerriScan:
•
Non-invasive.
•
Accurately measures liver iron levels.
•
Can be used repeatedly.
•
Fast – 20 minute outpatient procedure.
Excess iron deposits in tissues of the body, particularly
the liver, eventually causing tissue damage and organ
failure. For patients affected with iron overload,
accurate monitoring of the body iron burden is crucial
to the management of their disease.
Transfusional Iron Overload
Iron accumulates due to repeated blood transfusions in
patients with blood disorders such as ß-thalassemia,
sickle cell anaemia and myelodysplastic syndrome
(MDS). Drug therapy using an iron chelator is used to
remove the excess iron.
FerriScan enables clinicians to determine when
chelation therapy should commence, how well it is
working and adjust the therapy according to an
accurate measurement of liver iron levels, minimizing
the potential for organ damage.
FerriScan is being used in various clinical trials
investigating the effects of iron chelation in populations
of patients who present with signs of iron overload due
to repeated blood transfusions.
“A new non-invasive diagnostic
and measurement technique
such as FerriScan will be of
benefit to clinicians not only in
determining the severity or
presence of excessive iron
stores, but in optimising
treatment plans.”
Early detection of iron overload is essential in the
prevention of serious complications. Yet identification
of individuals suffering from iron load has in many
cases been hampered by inconclusive testing
methods.
Regulatory Approved
FerriScan is clinically proven to be highly sensitive and
specific and is the only non-invasive liver iron
measurement technique with regulatory approval, with
a thorough clinical validation supporting the
technology.
FerriScan is cleared for marketing by regulatory
authorities in the USA (FDA), Canada (Health
Canada), Australia (TGA), New Zealand (Medsafe),
Europe and the UK (CE Mark).
The FerriScan Process
The FerriScan process involves four simple steps:
Blood markers such as serum ferritin are confounded
by factors other than iron loading such inflammation.
Liver biopsy is an invasive procedure and involves
uncertainties in result due to the irregular nature in
which iron is stored in the liver. Gene testing for
hereditary haemochromatosis provides information on
likelihood but not level of iron loading.
Haemochromatosis
Disorders of iron metabolism are amongst the most
common diseases in the world. Hereditary
haemochromatosis is a condition where excess uptake
of dietary iron leads to the accumulation of iron and
affects 1 in 227 people of Northern European decent.
For patient with haemochromatosis the treatment can
be as simple as donating blood regularly to remove the
extra iron.
An accurate measure of liver iron in patients with
haemochromatosis enables the clinician to determine
the amount of phlebotomy required. FerriScan also
assists with diagnosis of haemochomatosis for gene
negative patients.
1.
Patients are required to spend approximately 20
minutes in the MRI instrument. No contrast agent
is administered.
2.
Image data are transmitted electronically to the
FerriScan Service Centre through a secure internet
link.
3.
The service uses a patented methodology for
processing the MR images to generate a liver iron
concentration (LIC) result.
4.
LIC reports are made available to the MRI centre
through the secure link within two working days.
Further Information
Please visit us at
www.resonancehealth.com for further
information or send an email to info@ferriscan.com
FerriScan is a service proudly delivered by: Resonance Health