BIPHASIC CONTRAST-ENHANCED MULTISECTION DYNAMIC MR-IMAGING OF THE LIVER - POTENTIAL PITFALLS

Biphasic contrast material-enhanced dynamic magnetic resonance (MR) im aging is an important technique for evaluating liver disease, However, several potential diagnostic pitfalls may be encountered, including l obar, segmental, subsegmental, and subcapsular hyperperfusion abnormal ities; early-enhancing pseudolesions, particularly in the medial segme nt of the left hepatic lobe; heterogeneous hyperperfusion abnormalitie s throughout the Liver; and hypointense pseudolesions due to vascular artifacts, I unenhanced hepatic vessels, partial volume artifacts, mag netic susceptibility artifacts, and regenerative nodules in cirrhosis, These abnormalities sometimes have appearances similar eo those of tr ue lesions or tumor spread to the surrounding liver parenchyma on arte rial-dominant phase dynamic MR images, In most cases, however, no corr esponding abnormalities are seen with other pulse sequences or on dela yed-phase MR images, In addition, hyperperfusion abnormalities due to readily recognizable causes are often found in characteristic location s and thus can be differentiated from true tumors, An understanding of the causes of these potential pitfalls and how to avoid them will hel p radiologists understand and correctly interpret images.