Figure 2b. MR images in a 60-year-old woman with a diffuse pattern of liver cirrhosis. The liver contour is minimally irregular, and the caudate lobe is slightly enlarged; these findings are demonstrated on (a) a transverse fat-suppressed T2-weighted half-Fourier RARE MR image (
/90). (Because of inhomogeneous fat suppression and use of a phased-array body coil, anterior subcutaneous fat shows relatively high signal intensity in this image). Peripheral wedge-shaped areas (arrows) without parenchymal atrophy show high signal intensity in this image and isointense signal on (b) a transverse T1-weighted SGE MR image (140/4.1). (c) On a transverse SGE MR image (140/4.1) obtained immediately after gadolinium chelate adminstration, these areas (arrows) are slightly hyperenhancing. (d) This slight hyperenhancement (arrow) persists mildly on a transverse fat-suppressed MR image (147/4.1) obtained 2 minutes after gadolinium chelate administration. Segmental biliary ductal dilatation is visualized as low-signal-intensity tubular structures (arrowheads) in this image.