Differential diagnosis of cirrhotic nodules is an important issue in clinical imaging. Hepatocellular carcinoma is a serious threat to human health worldwide, especially in China, where most hepatocellular carcinomas are associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and tend to develop on the basis of chronic hepatitis cirrhosis. Imaging examinations show that the imaging manifestations of cirrhotic nodules at different stages partially overlap, which increases the difficulty of diagnosis and differential diagnosis. The signals and enhancement patterns of regenerative nodules (RN), low-grade heterodysplastic nodules (LGDN), high-grade heterodysplastic nodules (HGDN), and early hepatocellular carcinoma (early HCC) are each distinctive, but cross-cutting on both CT and MRI. MRI is currently the most important diagnostic tool for cirrhotic nodules and is the most important diagnostic tool for hepatocellular carcinoma. MRI is currently the most sensitive non-invasive method for diagnosing cirrhotic nodules; especially in recent years, the application of new techniques and new contrast agents has further improved the diagnostic accuracy.