Pseudothrombosis in the portal venous system: A potential pitfall with gadolinium-enhanced dynamic gradient-recalled echo imaging of the liver

Gadolinium-enhanced dynamic magnetic resonance (MR) images in 90 patients w ere reviewed to assess the artifacts mimicking portal venous thrombosis. Th e incidence of definite signal-intensity decrease mimicking pathologic cond ition was higher (P < 0.01) in the right (8%) and left (9%) portal vein bra nches and portal trunk (6%) than in the splenic (0%) or superior mesenteric (1%) vein with equilibrium-phase images. Radiologists should remember that dynamic MR images occasionally show signal-intensity decrease mimicking po rtal venous thrombosis due to flow artifact. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.