Hepatic lipomas and steatosis: An association beyond chance

Abstract Objective To determine if hepatic lipomas have a higher prevalence of liver steatosis than other benign hepatic lesions. Materials and methods Ninety-two benign hepatic lesions were analyzed with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. There were 6 lipomas and 86 benign non-lipomatous lesions, including 55 hemangiomas, 23 focal nodular hyperplasias (FNH) and 8 adenomas. All studies included a chemical shift T1-weighted sequence (in-phase and opposed-phase) in order to evaluate the presence of steatosis. Results A statistically significant relationship (Fischer's Exact Test, p  = 0.019) between hepatic lipomas and steatosis was demonstrated. Fifty percent of hepatic lipomas associated steatosis, while this association was present in only 9% of the non-lipomatous lesions. Conclusion Lipomas have a significantly greater association with steatosis when compared to nonlipomatous lesions. This relationship may be related to a common insuline resistance mechanism.