Imaging of the liver is a common procedure in cancer patients since cancer spreads to the liver more often than it metastasizes to any other organ. In addition to its use for detection of lesions and surgical planning, imaging of the liver may enable lesions to be classified as malignant tumors that require surgical removal or as benign lesions such as cysts, hemangiomas, or focal nodular hyperplasias, which do not usually require surgical treatment. Several different magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, and ultrasonography methods have been developed for hepatic imaging and some involve the use of contrast agents that are preferentially absorbed from the bloodstream by specific organs and certain types of lesions. Due to the variety of approaches to hepatic imaging, there is ongoing debate concerning the most appropriate methods for different
clinical situations.