Comprehensive review of imaging modalities for diagnosis and characterization of focal liver lesions

Abstract

Focal liver lesions (FLLs) include a variety of benign and malignant lesions, hepatocellular cancer (HCC) and metastases are the most common malignant forms of FLLs. FLLs are often discovered incidentally due to the widespread use of imaging modalities. Gray-scale ultrasound (US) is frequently used as the initial screening to detect FLLs. Furthermore, a variety of imaging modalities are used to diagnose FLLs, including contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), contrast and non-contrast of computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Understanding the capabilities of each diagnostic modality is crucial for accurate diagnosis and proper management of FLLs. Therefore, this review provides a comprehensive overview of focal liver lesions (FLLs), including their aetiology, epidemiology, and methods of diagnosis.