Assessing the Diagnostic Potential of Synthetic MRI for Hypogonadotropic Hypogonadism in Thalassemia Patients

Motivation: Pituitary T1 values and pituitary height have potential as predictive markers for hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH) in thalassemia major (TM) patients, yet their assessment typically needs multiple MRI scans. Goal(s): Assess the diagnostic potential of Synthetic MRI in detection of HH, with the advantage of obtaining the required MR measurements through a single scan. Approach: Pituitary T1, T2 and pituitary height were measured in 112 TM patients using SyMRI technique. Results: The AUC values for diagnosing HH with pituitary T1 values and pituitary height were 0.736 and 0.753, respectively, and the AUC value of combining these two measurements was 0.813. Impact: Synthetic MRI technology facilitates the diagnosis of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in TM patients, and the combination of pituitary T1 values and pituitary height yields high diagnostic accuracy for hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in TM patient.