Benign and malignant focal liver lesions displaying rim arterial phase hyperenhancement on CT and MRI

Rim arterial phase hyperenhancement is an imaging feature commonly encountered on contrast-enhanced CT and MRI in focal liver lesions. Rim arterial phase hyperenhancement is a subtype of arterial phase hyperenhancement mainly present at the periphery of lesions on the arterial phase. It is caused by a relative arterialization of the periphery compared with the center of the lesion and needs to be differentiated from other patterns of peripheral enhancement, including the peripheral discontinuous nodular enhancement and the corona enhancement. Rim arterial phase hyperenhancement may be a typical or an atypical imaging presentation of many benign and malignant focal liver lesions, challenging the radiologists during imaging interpretation. Benign focal liver lesions that may show rim arterial phase hyperenhancement may have a vascular, infectious, or inflammatory origin. Malignant focal liver lesions displaying rim arterial phase hyperenhancement may have a vascular, hepatocellular, biliary, lymphoid, or secondary origin. The differences in imaging characteristics on contrast-enhanced CT may be subtle, and a multiparametric approach on MRI may be helpful to narrow the list of differentials. This article aims to review the broad spectrum of focal liver lesions that may show rim arterial phase hyperenhancement, using an approach based on the benign and malignant nature of lesions and their histologic origin. CRITICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Rim arterial phase hyperenhancement may be an imaging feature encountered in benign and malignant focal liver lesions and the diagnostic algorithm approach provided in this educational review may guide toward the final diagnosis. KEY POINTS: Several focal liver lesions may demonstrate rim arterial phase hyperenhancement. Rim arterial phase hyperenhancement may occur in vascular, inflammatory, and neoplastic lesions. Rim arterial phase hyperenhancement may challenge radiologists during image interpretation.