MR-IMAGING OF TRAUMATIC HEPATIC LACERATION - EVALUATION AND COURSE OFHEALING AFTER SURGERY

Six patients with hepatic laceration underwent magnetic resonance imag ing (MRI) at 0.5T. Acute hepatic laceration was slightly hypointense o n TI-weighted spin-echo (SE) image, and hyperintense on T2- and proton -weighted SE images. Subacute laceration was heterogeneously intense o n T1-weighted image and hyperintense on T2- and proton-weighted images . Consistent changes in signal intensity of postoperative hepatic lace ration were observed. On T1-weighted image, the signal intensity at fi rst increased and then decreased from periphery to the center. On the T2- and proton-weighted images, the laceration was uniformly hyperinte nse relative to the liver prior to the appearance and growth of a hypo intense ring at its periphery. The appearance of the above changes in signal intensity was also observed in postoperative recurrent hemorrha ge. The postoperative biloma had none of the above changes in signal i ntensity. Our cases show that MRI is effective in the evaluation of he patic laceration and in the assessment of the course of healing after operation.