Central scars in primary liver tumors: MR features, specificity, and pathologic correlation.

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Pathology
• Hepatology

Background:

• Central tumor scars are frequently observed in primary liver tumors.
• These scars can be associated with both malignant and benign liver conditions.
• Differentiating scar types is crucial for accurate diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and characterize tumor scars in primary liver tumors using histopathology and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.
• To correlate the histopathologic features of scars with their MR imaging appearance.
• To assess the frequency and diagnostic implications of central tumor scars.

Main Methods:

• Pathologic examination of tumor scars from 17 primary liver tumors.
• Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the same tumors.
• Correlation of histopathologic scar types with MR signal intensities on T1- and T2-weighted images.

Main Results:

• Tumor scars were identified in 59% of primary liver tumors (10/17).
• Three scar types were histopathologically defined: inflammatory, vascular, and collagenous.
• Inflammatory and vascular scars showed hypointensity on T1-weighted and hyperintensity on T2-weighted MR images.
• Collagenous scars appeared hypointense on both T1- and T2-weighted MR images.

Conclusions:

• Central tumor scars are a frequent finding in primary liver tumors, including hepatocellular carcinomas, giant hemangiomas, hepatic adenomas, and focal nodular hyperplasia.
• Histopathologic scar characteristics correlate with distinct MR imaging features.
• MR imaging can help differentiate scar types, although central scars remain a nonspecific feature.