What is a typical MRI feature of hepatic hemangioma?

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What is a typical MRI feature of hepatic hemangioma?

Hepatic hemangiomas have a distinctive MRI enhancement pattern because they are made of cavernous vascular spaces with slow blood flow. After gadolinium is given, contrast first pools at the periphery and progressively fills the lesion toward the center on delayed phases, producing peripheral nodular enhancement with centripetal (inward) fill-in. This dynamic pattern is the classic imaging signature that helps distinguish hemangiomas from other liver tumors. On noncontrast MRI, they are typically very bright on T2-weighted images due to their fluid-filled spaces. Other options don’t fit as well: a central scar is more typical of focal nodular hyperplasia; arterial washout is characteristic of hepatocellular carcinoma; and true diffusion restriction (hyperintensity on diffusion-weighted imaging) is not a feature of benign hemangiomas.

Hepatic hemangiomas have a distinctive MRI enhancement pattern because they are made of cavernous vascular spaces with slow blood flow. After gadolinium is given, contrast first pools at the periphery and progressively fills the lesion toward the center on delayed phases, producing peripheral nodular enhancement with centripetal (inward) fill-in. This dynamic pattern is the classic imaging signature that helps distinguish hemangiomas from other liver tumors.

On noncontrast MRI, they are typically very bright on T2-weighted images due to their fluid-filled spaces.

Other options don’t fit as well: a central scar is more typical of focal nodular hyperplasia; arterial washout is characteristic of hepatocellular carcinoma; and true diffusion restriction (hyperintensity on diffusion-weighted imaging) is not a feature of benign hemangiomas.

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