Sclerosed hemangioma of the liver: possible diagnostic value of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging.

We present a case of a sclerosed hemangioma (SH) of the liver that showed a high apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value. The patient was undergoing preoperative evaluation for a metastatic breast cancer lesion when a liver mass with a diameter of 3 cm was found. It was described as a heterogeneously hyperechoic mass on ultrasonography and as a well-defined, lobulated mass with early peripheral enhancement and internal heterogeneous enhancement in the delayed phase on computed tomography. The fat-suppressed T2-weighted images demonstrated a heterogeneously hyperintense mass, which showed an ADC value of 2.01 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s. Liver metastasis and cholangiocellular carcinoma could not be excluded based on the imaging findings. After surgery, a definite diagnosis of SH was obtained. Microscopically, many hyalinized portions with poor cellular and fibrous components were observed in the tumor, and this hyalinization accompanied with liquiform degeneration, which may have been one of the causes of the high ADC value. We discuss the diagnostic value of diffusion-weighted imaging for SH of the liver.