MR imaging of 11 patients with ringed hepatic lesion including hepatocellular carcinoma(4), metastasis(1), amebic abscess(1), pyogenic liver abscess(3), hydatid cyst(1), and subcapsular hematoma(1) were retrospectively reviewed to narrow
differential
diagnosis of the focal hepatic lesion.
A capsule as a peripheral rim of low signal intensity separating lesion from normal liver is best seen in hepatoma on T1-weighted image and in hydatid cyst on T2-weighted image. A bright ring on T1-weighted image indicates hematoma. Two different
ring
patterns on T2-weighted image show liver abscess and metastatic lesion.
Therefore, when MR images show rings a liver mass, recognition of these morphologic features and signal intensity can lead to differential diagnosis.
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