Renal hemosiderosis
Renal hemosiderosis results from accumulation of hemosiderin in the kidneys. It is usually considered a benign and incidental radiologic finding and rarely results in clinically apparent renal dysfunction.
Pathology
Renal hemosiderosis is a known complication of the following conditions:
- chronic intravascular hemolytic states such as hemolytic anemias like sickle cell anemia and thalassemia
- paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH)
- mechanical hemolysis from prosthetic cardiac valve
Radiographic features
CT
No focal abnormalities usually seen on CT.
MRI
The kidneys exhibit abnormally low renal cortical signal in T1W and T2W sequences on MRI.
Differential diagnosis
General imaging differential considerations include
