Pulmonary lymphoproliferative disorders in children: a practical review

Abstract

Pulmonary lymphoproliferative disorders represent an uncommon spectrum of proliferation of lymphoid tissue in the lung parenchyma ranging from benign hyperplasia to malignancy. They tend to occur in certain clinical situations and have typical imaging features that together can be used by the radiologist to suggest these entities as part of the differential diagnosis. We review key clinical, histopathological and computed tomography features of pulmonary lymphoproliferative disorders in children including follicular bronchiolitis, lymphoid interstitial pneumonia, granulomatous-lymphocytic interstitial lung disease, lymphoma and post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder to familiarize the pediatric radiologist with this group of disorders.

Keywords: Children; Computed tomography; Lungs; Lymphoproliferative disorders; Pulmonary.