Related Experiment Videos
Hyperintense benign liver lesions on spin-echo T1-weighted MR images: pathologic correlations
D Mathieu1, M Paret, A E Mahfouz
1Department of Radiology, Hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France.
Abdominal Imaging
|July 1, 1997
Summary
Hyperintensity on T1-weighted MRI scans of benign liver lesions is rare. Fat-suppressed imaging helps differentiate fat deposition from other causes like copper, hemorrhage, or high protein content.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Hepatology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Benign liver lesions can exhibit hyperintensity on T1-weighted spin echo (SE) magnetic resonance (MR) images.
- Determining the incidence and causes of this finding is crucial for accurate diagnosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the incidence of T1-weighted hyperintensity in benign liver lesions.
- To evaluate the utility of fat-suppressed MR imaging in detecting fat within these lesions.
- To correlate imaging findings with pathological examinations to identify causes of hyperintensity.
Main Methods:
- MR imaging (T2-weighted, T1-weighted SE, and fat-suppressed T1-weighted SE) was performed on 549 patients with 805 benign liver lesions.
- Lesions included hemangiomas, focal nodular hyperplasias (FNHs), hepatic adenomas (HAs), focal fatty infiltrations (FFIs), biliary cystadenomas, and hemorrhagic cysts.
Main Results:
- 3.9% of benign liver lesions were hyperintense on T1-weighted SE images.
- Fat-suppressed imaging identified fat in 21 of these lesions (FNHs, HAs, FFIs).
- The remaining 11 hyperintense lesions without fat showed sinusoidal dilatation, copper deposition, hemorrhage, or high protein content.
Conclusions:
- T1-weighted hyperintensity in benign liver lesions is uncommon.
- Fat-suppressed MR imaging effectively distinguishes fat deposition from other causes of T1 hyperintensity.
- Pathological correlation reveals diverse etiologies for T1 hyperintensity, including fat, copper, hemorrhage, and protein.