Hepatic imaging for metastatic disease

Metastatic disease is the most common malignant liver lesion. The presence of hepatic metastases greatly affects prognosis and therapy, although does not necessarily preclude curative treatment. The accurate detection and characterization of possible hepatic metastases is critical to the workup of patients with known malignancy. Consequently, hepatic imaging for metastatic disease is a common indication for cross-sectional imaging. This article discusses the current status of various hepatic imaging modalities, with particular attention to their role in the diagnostic workup of suspected hepatic metastases.