title: Susceptibility artifacts in lipomas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Intracranial lipomas are uncommon tumors, which produce susceptibility artifacts on susceptibility weighted images. The cause for the susceptibility artifact on SWI images remains speculative. Our purpose was identifying the possible causes of susceptibility artifacts in lipoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed 15 cases harboring 16 lipomas of head region. All the lipomas are evaluated on SWI images for the presence of blooming and types of blooming artifacts. Computed tomography (CT) images were evaluated for presence of calcification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All three pericallosal tubulonodular lipomas showed peripheral rim-like susceptibility artifacts. All the curvilinear lipomas (four cases) showed complete blooming. Five out of eight nodular lipomas showed peripheral susceptibility artifacts, whereas, one showed complete blooming. Two nodular lipomas showed peripheral and central susceptibility artifacts. Scalp and craniovertebral lipomas (four in number) showed peripheral susceptibility artifacts. Specks of calcification were identified in two out of seven cases on CT scan.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Contribution of the macroscopic calcification to susceptibility blooming appears to be insignificant. Microscopic mineralization and chemical shift artifact appears to be a major cause of susceptibility blooming.
authors: Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Narayana Hrudayalaya and Muzumdar Shaw Cancer Center, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
authors: Dayananda
authors: D
authors: Lingegowda
authors: Chandana
authors: C
authors: Rajashekar
authors: Vinay Venkanna
authors: VV
authors: Belaval
authors: Bejoy
authors: B
authors: Thomas
authors: Chandrasekharan
authors: C
authors: Keshavdas
mesh_terms: D016477:Artifacts; D001932:Brain Neoplasms; D006801:Humans; D008067:Lipoma; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed