[MRI imaging of liver neoplasma]

MRI by 1.5 T imager with spin echo pulse sequence was performed on 53 liver neoplasms (13 hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), 28 cavernous hemangiomas and 12 metastasis). Lobulated and notched contour were observed in 72% of our cases of hemangioma. It is well known that in hemangioma several kinds of echographic patterns appear, but in MRI, almost all hemangioma appear to show the same signal pattern as high intensity homogeneous on T2 weighted image. No liver neoplasma showed high intensity on T1 image except in 1/3 of cases of HCC. Contrast enhancement with Gd-DTPA is useful for differential diagnosis of liver neoplasma because it shows different signal patterns from the other diseases.