title: Hemangioma of the liver: characteristics exhibited on a 0.15 Tesla scanner.
abstract: Twenty-two liver hemangiomas, initially diagnosed using ultrasonography, were imaged with a Picker 0.15 Tesla super-conducting scanner in order to (1) determine the reliability of spin-echo (SE) signal intensity measurements and the calculated T1 and T2 values of both normal tissue and hemangiomas and (2) assess the characteristics of hemangiomas as visualized by a low-field magnetic resonance imaging unit. Reproducible measurements of T1 values and signal intensities are possible (r = 0.93-0.99) but T2 values are less reproducible (r = 0.79) and more variable. T1 values provide the best discrimination between hemangiomas and normal liver (99% successful classification) followed by the SE signal intensity differences (94%). Signal intensity ratios and contrast-to-noise ratios of lesions compared with liver are similar to those of other studies. Most small hemangiomas exhibit homogeneous signal intensity but larger lesions can be nonhomogeneous.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital, U.B.C. Site, Vancouver.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Flak
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ajzen
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Cooperberg
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Clark
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology