Focal Liver Lesions Hyperintense on T1-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Images

Furlan, Alessandro; Marin, Daniele; Bae, Kyongtae T.; Lagalla, Roberto; Agnello, Francesco; Bazzocchi, Massimo; Brancatelli, Giuseppe

doi:10.1053/j.sult.2009.07.002

« PreviousSeminars in Ultrasound, CT and MRI
Volume 30, Issue 5 , Pages 436-449, October 2009

Focal Liver Lesions Hyperintense on T1-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Images

Alessandro Furlan, MD
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Radiology, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
- Address reprint requests to: Alessandro Furlan, MD, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Department of Radiology, 3362 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Daniele Marin, MD
- Department of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
- Department of Radiological Sciences, University of Rome, Sapienza, Rome, Italy
Kyongtae T. Bae, MD, PhD
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
Roberto Lagalla, MD
- Department of Radiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
Francesco Agnello, MD
- Department of Radiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
Massimo Bazzocchi, MD
- Department of Radiology, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
Giuseppe Brancatelli, MD
- Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
- Department of Radiology, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
- Radiology Unit, La Maddalena Hospital, Palermo, Italy

This article reviews focal liver lesions hyperintense on T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) images and describes the underlying etiologies associated with their T1 signal intensity. Although focal liver lesions are commonly detected because of their iso- or hypointensity on T1-weighted images, lesions (benign or malignant) may present with T1 hyperintensity when they contain T1 shortening elements—such as fat, hemorrhage, copper, melanin, and highly concentrated proteins. Our discussion includes the description of state-of-the-art T1-weighted MR sequences and the imaging features of lesions on pre- and postcontrast MR images that are characteristic for lesion composition and useful for making accurate diagnosis.