MR imaging of intramuscular hemangiomas

Magnetic resonance images of eight surgically confirmed intramuscular hemangiomas were correlated with the pathologic findings. T1- and T2-weighted images were obtained in all cases; STIR images were also obtained in six cases, and fat-suppressed enhanced images in seven cases. All eight hemangiomas showed markedly high signal intensity on T2-weighted images. Linear and round low-signal-intensity components within hemangiomas corresponded to fibrous tissues, high flow vessels and phleboliths. Fat-suppressed enhanced images were superior to images without fat suppression in defining the extent of lesions. STIR images were useful in defining the extent of hemangiomas with infiltration into surrounding tissue. MRI is useful for distinguishing intramuscular hemangiomas from other soft tissue tumors and also supplies valuable information about the extent of the lesions. (author)