Abstract
The diagnostic utility of extremely low field magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was evaluated in 25 patients with focal hepatic masses, including 17 with primary (n=7) or secondary (n= 10) malignant neoplasms and 8 with benign lesions (6 hemangiomas). The findings were compared with the results of computed tomography (CT). Out of 16 patients with malignant tumors demonstrated by both modalities, the diagnostic information from MR imaging was equal to or better than that from CT in 6 patients and inferior to CT in 10. Shortcomings of MR were mainly due to low signal-to-noise ratio and poor spatial resolution, resulting in an image quality inferior to that obtained at higher field strengths. Considering these facts, together with the long imaging times required, low field MR cannot be recommended for general use in the evaluation of hepatic masses. On the other hand, our results indicate that this technique may be useful in establishing the diagnosis of hepatic hemangioma.
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