Hepatic hemangiomas: evaluation of enhancement patterns at dynamic MRI with gadoxetate disodium.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the enhancement patterns of hepatic hemangiomas on gadoxetate disodium.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 22 patients with 32 hepatic hemangiomas (23 typical type and nine high-flow type) in normal liver underwent gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MRI. Contrast-enhanced images were obtained before and after contrast injection, including arterial phase, portal phase, equilibrium phase, and three hepatobiliary phases (10, 15 and 20 minutes). Signal-to-phantom ratios of hemangiomas and the portal vein as well as lesion-to-liver contrast-to-phantom ratios were assessed.

RESULTS

Mean signal-to-phantom ratios of all 32 hemangiomas showed the highest value on the arterial phase and subsequently decreased over time (p = 0.029 to p < 0.001). Mean lesion-to-liver contrast-to-phantom ratios of all 32 hemangiomas showed a positive value during the arterial phase and increasingly negative values at later time points (p = 0.001 to p < 0.001). The enhancement pattern of hemangiomas was equal to that of the portal vein at all time points. There was no significant difference in signal-to-phantom ratio between typical hemangiomas and high-flow hemangiomas at any time point.

CONCLUSION

Most hepatic hemangiomas showed hypointensity relative to surrounding liver parenchyma during the equilibrium phase and the hepatobiliary phase. In addition, hepatic hemangiomas showed a signal intensity matching the portal vein at all phases, a finding we believe may be characteristic for hepatic hemangiomas on gadoxetate disodium-enhanced MR images.