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 times in the differentiation of liver hemangiomas from malignancies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-seven patients with focal liver lesions underwent MR imaging with spin-echo and gadolinium-enhanced multiplanar SPGR techniques. T2 relaxation times and enhancement patterns were compared 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 indicated a hemangioma. Although 18 of the 33 malignancies and 10 of the 12 hemangiomas showed progressive centripetal hyperintense enhancement, only hemangiomas filled in with hyperintense peripheral nodules. Malignancies often filled in with hyperintense thick rinds. CONCLUSION: Gadolinium-enhanced multiplanar SPGR imaging allows more accurate characterization of liver lesions than does T2 relaxation time.