Hepatic hemangiomas: factors associated with T2 shine-through effect on diffusion-weighted MR sequences

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Imaging
• Hepatology

Background:

• Hepatic hemangiomas are common benign liver tumors.
• Diffusion-weighted (DW) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is increasingly used for liver lesion characterization.
• The T2 shine-through effect can be a confounding factor in interpreting DW MR images.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the frequency of the T2 shine-through effect in hepatic hemangiomas.
• To identify factors associated with the presence of T2 shine-through effect on DW MR sequences.
• To assess the clinical significance of this phenomenon in hepatic hemangioma diagnosis.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 388 hepatic hemangiomas in 149 patients who underwent liver MR.
• Evaluation of lesion signal intensities, enhancement patterns, and T2 shine-through effect on DW sequences (b values 0, 150, 600 s/mm2).
• Calculation of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values and multivariate analysis to identify associated factors.

Main Results:

• T2 shine-through effect was observed in 52.6% of hepatic hemangiomas.
• Hemangiomas with T2 shine-through effect had significantly lower mean ADC values (2.0 vs 2.38).
• Associated factors included high T2 signal intensity, classical/delayed enhancement, and liver ADC.

Conclusions:

• T2 shine-through effect is a common finding in hepatic hemangiomas.
• Its presence is related to specific hemangioma imaging characteristics.
• Radiologists must be aware of this phenomenon to avoid misdiagnosis, though typical MR findings support hemangioma diagnosis.