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. 2014 Mar 1;8(3):23–30. doi: 10.3941/jrcr.v8i3.1459

Table 2.

Differential diagnosis of hepatic inflammatory pseudotumor [3–7,9,15,20–21,26]

Entity Ultrasound CT MRI
Inflammatory pseudotumor

  • - Typically hypoechoic, but may have variable echogenicity

  • - Ill- or well-defined margins

  • - Homogeneous or heterogeneous internal texture

  • - Hypoattenuating parenchymal mass

  • - Ill-defined

  • - Variable degrees of contrast enhancement, generally delayed enhancement on tumor periphery

  • - T1 hyperintense to liver parenchyma

  • - T2 iso- or hyperintense

  • - Variable gadolinium enhancement, most commonly on delayed phase
Hepatocellular carcinoma

  • - Hypoechoic to liver parenchyma (small lesions)

  • - Heterogeneous echogenicity (larger lesions)

  • - Large, hypoattenuating mass (focal HCC)

  • - Early enhancement with washout on delayed phase

  • - T1 iso- or hyperintense to liver parenchyma

  • - T2 variable, typically hyperintense

  • - Arterial enhancement with rapid washout
Cholangiocarcinoma (mass-forming intrahepatic)

  • - Homogeneous mass, intermediate echogenicity

  • - Hypoattenuating

  • - Delayed phase enhancement

  • - T1 hypointense, T2 hyperintense

  • - Delayed phase enhancement
Metastatic disease

  • - Typically hypoechoic

  • - Hypoattenuating

  • - Peripheral enhancement with delayed phase washout

  • - T1 hypointense, T2 hyperintense

  • - Peripheral gadolinium enhancement with delayed phase washout
Liver abscess

  • - Variable: may be hypo- or hyperechoic

  • - Hypoattenuating parenchymal mass

  • - Peripheral enhancement

  • - Typically T1 hypointense, T2 hyperintense