Objective To explore the diagnosis and differentiation values of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with local malignant lesions of adenoma of gallbladder(AG). Methods The clinical data of 86 cases of AG patients confirmed by postoperative pathology in our hospital from March 2013 to October 2017 were analyzed retrospectively. Among them, 15 cases were classified as local malignant lesions, and the MRI findings of local malignant lesions and AG were analyzed. Results Among MRI of 71 cases with AG and 15 cases with local malignant lesions, there were significant differences in the tumor diameter, with lobes or not, morphology, high signal proportion, with cauliflower shape or not, basal width, enhanced performance and the presence of gallbladder wall thickening, thick and round gallbladder artery and liver invasion or not (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the age, gender, location, whether boundary was clear or not and combined cholecystolithiasis(P>0.05). Conclusion The gallbladder local wide base, reduced mulberry signs, lobulated, irregular shape, high signal proportion, significantly uneven enhancement, the limited thickening of gallbladder wall adhesion and liver invasion can be used as the MRI identification indexes for AG local malignant lesions, and MRI is of great values in the diagnosis and differentiation of AG local malignant lesions.