MR imaging of benign focal liver lesions

MRI has become the most important imaging modality for detecting and characterizing focal liver lesions. The introduction of high-field-strengths, such as 3 Tesla MR imaging, in combination with the parallel imaging technique, has led to significant improvements in spatial and temporal resolution and has established this technique as a valuable asset in daily clinical practice. New techniques, such as diffusion-weighted imaging, may improve MR imaging sensitivity and specificity in the diagnostic workup of focal liver lesions. The tailored administration of various nonspecific and liver-specific contrast agents enables clinicians to increase the detection rate and improve the characterization of the different focal liver lesions. This article describes the usefulness of these imaging techniques in detecting and characterizing the most common benign focal liver lesions.