The Rocky liver: radiologic-pathologic correlation of calcified hepatic masses

Abstract

Although relatively uncommon in daily clinical practice, calcification may be found in inflammatory hepatic lesions and in benign and malignant liver neoplasms. The most common source of calcified hepatic lesions is inflammatory conditions such as granulomatous diseases (e.g., tuberculosis). The calcification typically involves the entire lesion and appears as a dense mass that can produce artifacts on computed tomographic (CT) scans. Echinococcus cysts have curvilinear or ring calcification. Hemangiomas, especially large ones, may contain large, coarse calcifications that are centrally located in areas of fibrosis; these may be seen at CT (20% of cases) or radiography (10%). In hepatocellular adenoma, calcifications may be solitary or multiple and are usually located eccentrically within a complex heterogeneous mass. Calcifications in fibrolamellar carcinoma have been reported in 15%-25% of cases at CT and occur in a wide variety of patterns. Calcifications in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma are typically accompanied by a desmoplastic reaction and are visible at CT in about 18% of cases. Calcified hepatic metastases are most frequently associated with mucin-producing neoplasms such as colon carcinoma. Knowledge of the pathologic features of each entity helps radiologists to better recognize the shape, size, density, number, location, and distribution of hepatic calcifications seen on images and to narrow the differential diagnosis.