Kenji Matsuzaki1, Mayumi Takeuchi1, Masafumi Harada1
1Department of Radiology, University of Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan
Preserved intrahepatic vessels may be observed within various benign and malignant pathologies in the liver as "vessel-penetrating sign" (VPS) on imaging. MRI has an advantage to demonstrate vessels without the administration of contrast medium as flow voids on spin echo sequences with long TR; echo planar diffusion-weighted imaging, or as high signal intensity structures on gradient echo sequences with steady state free precession. The presence of VPS suggests infiltrative tumor growth, highly non-destructive tumors, mass formed by the aggregated malignant tumors, or benign tumor-like conditions. We present diagnostic imaging features of various liver lesions, which show VPS, with pathologic correlation.