Hand lipomas: detection and characterization by magnetic resonance imaging.

The initial clinical examination of two patients with a mass lesion of the palmar aspect of the hand failed to suggest the cause. Subsequently, the patients were examined with magnetic resonance imaging, which demonstrated that the lesions were lipomas. The scans revealed masses with smooth, lobulated margins and internal septations of low signal intensity; the masses exhibited high signal intensity in T1-weighted spin-echo images and intermediate signal intensity in T2-weighted images, features consistent with a lipoma.