Incidental Hepatic Lesions

Abstract

With the widespread use of radiological studies a greater number of hepatic lesions are identified. Although most of these lesions are benign, a small percentage can be malignant. Hence, a systematic approach and choosing the correct radiological imaging modality can help a physician manage these lesions without the need for exhaustive and time-consuming workup and may prevent a patient from undergoing unnecessary intervention. A number of factors should be considered in the evaluation of a hepatic lesion. These include the patient’s age, gender, medications, such as oral contraceptives or anabolic steroids, their travel history and any previous liver disease or cancers. A triple-phase CT or MRI, which includes a late arterial phase, a portal venous phase, and a delayed venous phase, can help to accurately diagnose a hepatic lesion more than 90 % of the time. Lesions seen in the background of chronic liver disease or cirrhosis should be considered hepatocellular carcinoma until proven otherwise.