Specimen:

Liver Tissue

Collection Medium:

Minimum:

1 cm long specimen obtained with an 18 gauge needle.  Tissue can be 
fresh, paraffin-embedded, formalin-fixed, or dried.  Formalin is 
acceptable, but not preferred.  Paraffin blocks are acceptable.
Metal-free vial available from Specimen Control, 6240 RCP.

Rejection Criteria:

Specimens less than 0.25 mg dry weight.  Samples stored or shipped in 
saline.

Analytic Time:

1 week

Reference Range:

Male:
Hepatic Iron Content (HIC):  200 - 2,000 ug/g of tissue
Hepatic Iron Index (HII):    Less than 1.0

Female:
Hepatic Iron Content (HIC):  200 - 1,600 ug/g of tissue
Hepatic Iron Index (HII):    Less than 1.0

Interpretive Data:

A Hepatic Iron Index (HII) is not calculated for patients less than 14 
years.  An HII less than 1.0 is consistent with normal iron 
accumulation.  An HII 1.0 through 1.9 is consistent with mild iron 
accumulation such as in heterozygous hemochromatosis or alcoholic liver 
disease.  An HII greater than 1.9 is consistent with iron overload such 
as in homozygous hemochromatosis, multiple transfusions, porphyria 
cutanea tarda, and cirrhotic liver disease.  The HII will decrease with 
chronic blood loss or phlebotomy.

Comments:

Submit to Surgical Pathology 5804 JPP.
Record age on test requisition in order to calculate iron index.

Methodology:

Inductively Coupled Plasma/Mass Spectrometry (DRC)

CPT Code:

83789