SONOGRAPHIC PATTERNS OF THE AFFECTED SPLEEN IN MALIGNANT-LYMPHOMA

Sonographic examination showed spleen involvement in 43 patients with histological evidence of malignant lymphoma. In 23% of these cases the spleen was of normal size and 77% exhibited variable splenomegaly. Focal lesions could be seen in 27 patients, 16 exhibiting diffuse, small‐nodule transformation of the sonographic parenchymal texture. Hodgkin lymphomas caused both focal (7 of 16) and diffuse (9 of 16), splenic lesions. All non‐Hodgkin lymphomas of high‐grade malignancy exhibited focal lesions, which are larger than 3 cm in diameter in 11 out of 13 patients. In non‐Hodgkin lymphomas of low‐grade malignancy, focal sites and diffuse destruction of splenic tissue texture were found, lesions of under 3 cm in diameter (11 of 13) being characteristic of this subtype. Copyright © 1990 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company