Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Primary Hepatic Malignancies in Patients With and Without Chronic Liver Disease: A Pictorial Review.

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Lauren Alexander, Emory University; Peter A Harri, Emory University; Brent Little, Emory University; Courtney Moreno, Emory University; Pardeep Mittal, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2017-08-04
• Publisher: Cureus, Inc.
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2017, Alexander et al.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.1539
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Cureus
• ISSN: 2168-8184
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 8
• Start Page: e1539
• End Page: e1539
• Keywords: hemangiosarcoma; hepatocellular; lymphoma; hemangioendothelioma; cholangiocarcinoma; epithelioid; bile duct neoplasms; carcinoma; magnetic resonance imaging; liver neoplasms
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Radiology

Abstract

Primary hepatic malignancies are less common than metastatic diseases, but a recognition of these lesions is important for diagnosis and treatment planning. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides the most imaging information to diagnose lesions noninvasively and to narrow differential diagnoses. This paper reviews the imaging findings of chronic liver disease and primary hepatic malignancies, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), epithelioid hemangioendothelioma, hepatic angiosarcoma, and primary hepatic lymphoma. Clinical and MRI features are reviewed to improve the readers' recognition of these tumors, allowing for a narrower differential diagnosis when liver masses are encountered on abdominal imaging.