The detection and discrimination of malignant and benign focal hepatic lesions: T2 weighted vs diffusion-weighted MRI.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for the detection and characterisation of focal hepatic lesions compared with the use of T2 weighted imaging. Method: 45 patients with 97 hepatic lesions (51 malignant lesions and 46 benign lesions) were included in this retrospective study. Malignant hepatic lesions included 12 hepatocellular carcinomas, 26 metastases and 13 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas. Benign hepatic lesions included 19 haemangiomas and 27 cysts. The MRI protocol for the upper abdomen included T2 weighted images, in- and opposed-phase T1 weighted images and dynamic T1 weighted images. Breath-hold fat-suppressed single-shot echo planar DWI was performed with the following parameters: 1338/66; b factors, 0, 50 and 800 s mm–2. Two independent observers reviewed the T2 weighted images and the DWI to detect and to characterise the hepatic lesions. Results: For detection of malignant hepatic lesions, the use of DWI showed a significantly high...