LI-RADS (overview)

Last revised by Henry Knipe on 23 Apr 2024

Liver Imaging Reporting and Data System (LI-RADS) is a standardized terminology and classification system for imaging findings in liver lesions. A liver lesion's LI-RADS score indicates its relative risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

The classification system is meant to be used in livers with risk factors for HCC (e.g. cirrhotic livers, chronic HBV without cirrhosis). LI-RADS is not meant to be used in patients <18 years old, those with cirrhosis due to congenital hepatic fibrosis, and those with cirrhosis due to vascular disorders (e.g. Budd-Chiari syndrome).

It has been proposed to decrease the variability in the interpretation of liver lesions in at-risk patients. Standardization also helps interpret therapeutic performance. The scoring system also helps communicate more clearly to non-hepatologists the degree of suspicion attached to liver lesions in their patients.

The four LI-RADS classification algorithms are 1:

Initial versions of LI-RADS was created in 2006 and modelled after the Breast imaging-reporting and data system (BI-RADS) by the American College of Radiology. It has since undergone multiple iterations, receiving contributions from a multidisciplinary international consortium of clinicians and academics.

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