Mucocutaneous and peripheral soft-tissue hemangiomas: MR imaging

Hemangiomas are common congenital lesions that may have devastating sequelae. The extent and location of a lesion determines the therapeutic approach. We describe 11 patients with mucocutaneous or peripheral soft-tissue hemangiomas to illustrate the ability of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to define clearly and noninvasively the extent and anatomic relationships of hemangiomas. The major advantage of MR imaging over computed tomography or angiography is the exquisite difference in contrast between hemangiomas and the surrounding structures on T2-weighted MR images, in which hemangiomas have a relatively intense signal. Hemangiomas demonstrated relatively low signal intensity (similar to muscle) on T1-weighted images, which were markedly inferior to T2-weighted images in defining the extent of the lesions. Phleboliths and feeding or draining vessels were rarely visible. The information obtained with MR imaging may be valuable clinically in planning surgical resection or laser therapy of aggressive lesions, in evaluating effectiveness of medical or embolic therapy, and in defining recurrence.