Hepatic cavernous hemangioma: sonographic patterns and speed of contrast enhancement on multiphase dynamic MR imaging.
OBJECTIVE
Our purpose was to investigate a correlation between the speed of contrast enhancement in patients with hepatic cavernous hemangioma revealed by dynamic MR imaging and the internal echo pattern revealed by sonography.


METHODS
Forty-five patients underwent multiphase IV contrast-enhanced dynamic MR imaging that revealed 71 hepatic cavernous hemangiomas less than 4 cm in diameter; the MR findings were compared with the sonographic findings in these patients. On MR imaging, the hemangiomas were classified as rapid-, intermediate-, and slow-enhancing. We classified sonographic features as hypoechoic, iso- or mixed-echoic, and hyperechoic according to the relative echogenicity seen between lesions and the surrounding hepatic parenchyma. Sonographic patterns and MR imaging findings of individual lesions were then compared.


RESULTS
Rapid-enhancing hemangiomas revealed on dynamic MR imaging tended to be hypoechoic on sonography (18/24, 75%; p = .0143), and lesions that were slow-enhancing on MR imaging tended to be hyperechoic (26/29, 90%; p < .0001). Hypoechoic lesions on sonography tended to be rapid-enhancing on dynamic MR imaging (18/18, 100%). Likewise, hyperechoic lesions on sonography tended to be slow-enhancing on MR imaging (26/33, 79%; p = .0009).


CONCLUSIONS
In most patients with hepatic cavernous hemangiomas, we found that the speed of contrast enhancement on multiphase dynamic MR imaging enabled us to predict the echo pattern in sonography and vice versa.
Yu
J S
JS
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, YongDong Severance Hospital, Seoul, South Korea.
Kim
M J
MJ
Kim
K W
KW
Chang
J C
JC
Jo
B J
BJ
Kim
T H
TH
Lee
J T
JT
Yoo
H S
HS
D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D006392:Hemangioma, Cavernous / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography
D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA