MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING IN HEMANGIOMA OF THE LIVER, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO DIFFERENTIATION FROM HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA

Abstract

Twenty one cases of hemangioma of the liver were studied with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and its diagnostic capability, with emphasis on differential diagnosis from hepatocellular carcinoma. The characteristic MRI findings of hemangioma were as follows: 1) well-circumbscribed, and homogenous signal intensity of the lesion. 2) On inversion recovery images, the intensity of the lesion is the same as or higher than that of the spleen. 3) On T2-weighted spin echo images, the intensity of the lesion is the same as or lower than that of the spleen.
The diagnostic capability of MRI for hemangioma was such that all lesions over 1.5cm in diameter were detected and the accuracy of differential diagnosis between hemangioma and hepatocellular carcinoma was 97.5%. Moreover, MRI made it possible to discriminate hemangioma from other hepatic mass lesions with great accuracy. In the future, MRI and sonography, both non-invasive diagnostic modalities, would play a major role in the diagnosis of hemangioma of the liver.