Abstract
The skin and subcutaneous tissues are inevitably imaged as part of most body MRI studies. Incidental or even symptomatic skin lesions may, therefore, be detected and present a diagnostic challenge for the radiologist. We aim to provide a comprehensive review, with illustrative examples, of the skin abnormalities encountered on body MRI studies in our busy academic radiology department.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Van Meerbeeck SF, Verstraete KL, Janssens S, Mortier G (2009) Whole body MR imaging in neurofibromatosis type 1. EJR 69:236–242
Weissleder R, Rieumont MJ, Wittenberg J (1997) Primer of diagnostic imaging, 2nd edn. St. Louis: Mosby
Murphey MD, Smith WS, Smith SE, Kransdorf MJ, Temple HT (1999) From the archives of the AFIP. Imaging of musculoskeletal neurogenic tumors: radiologic-pathologic correlation. Radiographics 19:1253–1280
Jee WH, Oh SN, McCauley T, et al. (2004) Extraaxial neurofibromas versus neurilemmomas: discrimination with MRI. AJR 183:629–633
Christenson LJ, Smith K, Arpey CJ (2000) Treatment of multiple cutaneous leiomyomas with CO2 laser ablation. Dermatol Surg 26:319–322
Spencer JM, Amonette RA (1996) Tumors with smooth muscle differentiation. Dermatol Surg 22:761–768
Myhre-Jensen O (1981) A consecutive 7-year series of 1331 benign soft tissue tumours. Clinicopathologic data. Comparison with sarcomas. Acta Orthop Scand 52:287–293
Kransdorf MJ, Bancroft LW, Peterson JJ, et al. (2002) Imaging of fatty tumors: distinction of lipoma and well-differentiated liposarcoma. Radiology 224:99–104
Fletcher CDM (2013) WHO classification of tumours of soft tissue and bone, 4th edn. Lyon: IARC Press
Murphey MD, Carroll JF, Flemming DJ, et al. (2004) From the archives of the AFIP: benign musculoskeletal lipomatous lesions. RadioGraphics 24(5):1433–1466
Winant AJ, Vora A, Ginter PS, Levine MS, Brylka DA (2014) More than just metastases: a practical approach to solid mesenteric masses. Abdom Imaging 39:605–621
Lee JC, Thomas JM, Phillips S, Fisher C, Moskovic E (2006) Aggressive fibromatosis: MRI features with pathologic correlation. AJR 186:247–253
Azizi L, Balu M, Belkacem A, et al. (2005) MRI features of mesenteric desmoid tumors in familial adenomatous polyposis. AJR 184:1128–1135
Sundaram M, McGuire MH, Schajowicz F (1987) Soft-tissue masses: histologic basis for decreased signal (short T2) on T2-weighted MR images. AJR 148:1247–1250
Romero JA, Kim EE, Kim CG, Chung WK, Isiklar I (1995) Different biologic features of desmoid tumors in adult and juvenile patients: MR demonstration. J Comput Assist Tomogr 19:782–787
Robbin MR, Murphey MD, Temple HT, Kransdorf MJ, Choi JJ (2001) Imaging of musculoskeletal fibromatosis. RadioGraphics 21:585–600
Healy JC, Reznek RH, Clark SK, Phillips RK, Armstrong P (1997) MR appearances of desmoid tumors in familial adenomatous polyposis. AJR 169:465–472
Carbotta G, Sallustio P, Prestera A, et al. (2016) Perineal Paget’s disease: a rare disorder and review of literature. Ann Med Surg 9:50–52
Akaike G, Nozaki T, Matsusako M, et al. (2013) Magnetic resonance imaging for extramammary Paget’s disease: radiological and pathological correlations. Skelet Radiol 42:437–442
Dei Tos AP, Pedeutor F (2002) Atypical lipomatous tumour/well differentiated liposarcoma. In: Fletcher CDM, Unni KK, Mertens F (eds) Pathology and genetics of tumours of soft tissue and bone. Lyon: IARC Press, pp 35–37
Enzinger FM (1962) Liposarcoma. A study of 103 cases. Virchows Arch Pathol Anat 335:367–388
Fletcher CD (2000) Soft tissue tumours. In: Fletcher CD (ed) Diagnostic histopathology of tumors, 2nd edn. London: Churchill Livingstone
Weiss SW, Goldblum JR (2001) Enzinger and Weiss’s soft tissue tumors, 4th edn. Mosby: Mosby
Gaskin CM, Helms CA (2004) Lipomas, lipoma variants, and well-differentiated liposarcomas (atypical lipomas): reults of MRI evaluations of 126 consecutive fatty masses. AJR 182:733–739
Luchs JS, Hines J, Katz DS, Athanasian EA (2002) On the AJR viewbox: MR imaging of squamous cell carcinoma complicating chronic osteomyelitis of the femur. AJR 178:512–513
Becker M, Zaidi H (2014) Imaging in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: the potential role of PET/MRI. BJR 87:20130677
Mackie RM (1992) Soft-tissue tumors. In: Champion RH, Burton JL, Ebling FJ (eds) Textbook of dermatology, 5th edn. Oxford: Blackwell, pp 2078–2079
Torreggiani WC, As-Ismail K, Munk PL, et al. (2002) Dermatofibrosacroma protuberans MR imaging features. AJR 178:989–993
Kransdorf MJ, Meis-Kindblom JM (1994) Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: radiologic appearance. AJR 163:391–394
Juan Y, Saboo SS, Tirumani SH, et al. (2014) Malignant skin and subcutaneous neoplasms in adults: multimodality imaging with CT, MRI, and 18F-FDG PET/CT. AJR 202:W422–W438
Kim HK, Kim SM, Lee SH, Racadio JM, Shin MJ (2011) Subcutaneous epidermal inclusion cysts: ultrasound (US) and MR imaging findings. Skelet Radiol 40:1415–1419
Sung HH, Chung HW, Choi J, et al. (2006) MRI findings of subcutaneous epidermal cysts: emphasis on the presence of rupture. AJR 186:961–966
Jackson IT, Carreño R, Potparic Z, Hussain K (1993) Hemangiomas, vascular malformations, and lymphovenous malformations: classification and methods of treatment. Plast Reconstr Surg 91:1216–1230
Moukaddam H, Pollak J, Haims AH (2009) MRI characteristics and classification of peripheral vascular malformations and tumors. Skelet Radiol 38:535–547
Salgado R, Alexiou J, Engelhorn JL (2006) Pseudotumoral lesions. In: De Schepper AM, Vanhoenacker F, Gielen J, Parizel PM (eds) Imaging of soft tissue tumors. Berlin: Springer, pp 415–446
English JC 3rd, Patel PJ, Greer KE (2001) Sarcoidosis. J Am Acad Dermatol 44:725–746
Shinozaki T, Watanabe H, Aoki J, et al. (1998) Imaging features of subcutaneous sarcoidosis. Skelet Radiol 27:359–364
Kelly AM, Cronin P (2005) MRI features of hidradenitis suppurativa and review of the literature. AJR 185:1201–1204
Parks RW, Parks TG (1997) Pathogenesis, clinical features and management of hidradenitis suppurativa. Ann R Coll Surg Engl 79:83–89
Hensen JJ, Van Breda Vriesman AC, Puylaert JBCM (2006) Abdominal wall endometriosis: clinical presentation and imaging features with emphasis on sonography. AJR 186:616–620
Yarmish D, Sale E, Goldman DA, et al. (2017) Abdominal wall endometriosis: differentiation from other masses using CT features. Abdom Radiol 42:1517–1523
Veloso TF (2004) Skin complications associated with inflammatory bowel disease. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 20:50–53
Scaranelo AM, de Fatima Ribeiro Maia M (2006) Sonographic and mammographic findings of breast liquid silicone injection. J Clin Ultrasound 34:273–277
Venkataraman S, Hines N, Slanetz PJ (2011) Challenges in mammography. Part 2. Multimodality review of breast augmentation—imaging findings and complications. AJR 197:1031–1045
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Becker-Weidman, D., Mhuircheartaigh, J.N. & Mortele, K.J. The skinny on skin: MRI features of cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions detected on body MRI studies. Abdom Radiol 43, 2823–2850 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-018-1543-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-018-1543-y