[Organ manifestations of malignant lymphoma. Results of 10 years' sonographic follow-up of 550 patients]

Abstract

Over a period of 10 years and by performing slightly more than 5,000 examinations, the incidence rate of organ infiltrations in case of malignant lymphomas was determined in 550 patients. 316 of these patients had non-Hodgkin lymphomas of low malignancy (NHLL), 127 non-Hodgkin lymphomas of high malignancy (NHLH) and 107 patients had lymphogranulomatosis. Liver infiltrations were detected in 30.9% of the patients with LG, in 31.5% of the patients with NHLH and in 13% of the patients with NHLL. In respect of histology, sonography had a sensitivity of 89 and a specificity of 95%. 17.8% of the patients with LG, 8.7% of those with NHLH and 6% of those with NHL had a nodular spleen infiltration; only 2 out of 21 patients of whom comparative histology was available had been falsely assessed negatively. In 2.8% of the patients with LG, 13.4% of those with NHLH and 5% of those with NHLL an infiltration of the gastrointestinal tract was seen. Compared with histological findings, sonography had a sensitivity of 85.7% and a specificity of 93.2%. Infiltrations of the pleura were more frequent in patients with lymphogranulomatosis (13.1%) than in patients with NHLH (7.8%) or NHLL (3.8%). The same phenomenon was seen in infiltrations of the pericardium (LG 10.3%, NHLH 8.7%, NHLL 2.8%). Infiltrations of thyroid, kidneys and urinary bladder are less frequent; the assessed rate of incidence is at the most 2%. Sonography is the imaging method of choice in the diagnosis and follow-up control of organ infiltrations in malignant lymphomas.