We discuss an ectopic liver misdiagnosed as an abdominal mass and the importance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in liver positional anomalies. A solid midline mass midline adjacent to the liver was found in a 45-year-old female at an external center during an ultrasound investigation conducted for occasional abdominal pain of many years. The patient was referred to us for MRI. MRI revealed a solid epigastric lesion adjacent to the liver but unrelated to the liver parenchyma. The mass was of similar intensity as the liver in all sequences and in postcontrast dynamic phases following hepatospecific contrast material administration. We also observed contrast material excretion into the solid lesion from the biliary ducts in the hepatobiliary phase. The lesion was diagnosed as ectopic liver tissue with these findings.
Level of evidence: 5 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2017;45:761-763.
Keywords: MRI; ectopic liver; epigastric mass; hepatospecific MRI contrast agent; liver positional anomaly.
© 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.