Differentiation between hemangiomas and cysts of the liver with single-shot fast-spin echo image using short and long TE

Purpose: This study was designed to examine whether hepatic hemangioma can be differentiated from cyst by use of single-shot fast spin echo (SSFSE) sequence without contrast material. Methods: SSFSE images with a short TE (90 msec) and a long TE (600-700 msec) were obtained in 30 patients with cyst (n = 19) or hemangioma (n = 26) on a 1.5-T unit. In short TE, both cysts and hemangiomas showed well-defined hyperintense masses. Results: In long TE, however, cysts showed well-defined hyperintense masses, whereas hemangiomas were poorly defined faint masses with intermediate signal intensity. The contrast-to-noise ratio of hemangiomas and cysts were 3.23 and 52.9 (p < 0.001) in long TE; there was no overlap for the ranges, and the result did not depend on lesion size. All 45 lesions were differentiated correctly with these qualitative criteria. Conclusions: SSFSE with short and long TE is useful in the evaluation of cyst and hemangioma of the liver.