Objective To analyze the clinical features of hepatocellular carcinoma and to evaluate the characteristics of images and diagnostic value of MRI sequence scanning in hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods The clinical data of 46 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma treated in our hospital from April 2013 to April 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. After admission, all patients underwent MRI three phase scan and examination and the imaging data were complete. The clinical features of hepatocellular carcinoma and the application value of MRI in clinical diagnosis were summarized. Results There were 50 lesions in 46 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, including 23 highly differentiated lesions, 13 moderately differentiated lesions and 14 poorly differentiated lesions; 30 lesions were located in the right lobe of liver and 20 in the left lobe of the liver; T1WI sequence scan showed 36 slightly lower signal, 8 equal signal and 6 slightly higher signal; T2WI sequence showed 44 slightly higher signal, including 4 of the lesions showed higher signal and 6 lesions showed equal signal; DWI sequence showed 30 higher signal, 15 slightly higher signal and 5 equal signal. Conclusion MRI sequence scan has its own advantages in showing the size, internal structure, edge and blood supply of hepatocellular carcinoma lesions. It is of important value in determination of the differentiation degree of hepatocellular carcinoma tissues. It can also show the characteristics of lesion enhancement and micro-morphological characteristics and provide reference for the treatment and prognosis.