DYNAMIC BREATH-HOLD MULTIPLANAR SPOILED GRADIENT-RECALLED MR-IMAGING WITH GADOLINIUM ENHANCEMENT FOR DIFFERENTIATING HEPATIC HEMANGIOMAS FROM MALIGNANCIES AT 1.5-T

PURPOSE: To compare the enhancement patterns of focal liver lesions at dynamic breath-hold gadolinium-enhanced multiplanar spoiled gradient- recalled (SPGR) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with T2 relaxation tim es in the differentiation of liver hemangiomas from malignancies. MATE RIALS AND METHODS: Forty-seven patients with focal liver lesions under went MR imaging with spin-echo and gadolinium-enhanced multiplanar SPG R techniques. T2 relaxation times and enhancement patterns were compar ed for accuracy in liver lesion characterization. RESULTS: Enhancement patterns allowed better characterization of liver lesions than did T2 relaxation times. Only specific patterns of contrast enhancement indi cated a hemangioma. Although 18 of the 33 malignancies and 10 of the 1 2 hemangiomas showed progressive centripetal hyperintense enhancement, only hemangiomas filled in with hyperintense peripheral nodules. Mali gnancies often filled in with hyperintense thick rinds. CONCLUSION: Ga dolinium-enhanced multiplanar SPGR imaging allows more accurate charac terization of liver lesions than does T2 relaxation time.