Hepatic cavernous hemangioma: magnetic resonance imaging. Work in progress.

Using a 0.35-T superconducting magnet and spin echo imaging, we prospectively evaluated 11 patients who had proved hepatic cavernous hemangioma. Magnetic resonance (MR) identified more lesions than either contrast-enhanced CT, or ultrasonography. The MR appearance was consistent; hemangiomas were homogeneous and generally isointense at short TR and TE intervals but were hyperintense at long TR intervals and greatly hyperintense at long TR and long TE intervals. However, the MR appearance of hemangioma was not specific; 2/14 other focal hepatic masses had similar features. The calculated relaxation times (T1, T2) were not useful in lesion characterization, although the intensity ratio of hemangioma to normal liver at the TR = 2.0 sec TE = 56 msec pulse sequence was useful in diagnosis since hemangiomas always had a ratio greater than 1.4.