PSEUDOLYMPHOMA IN 2 IMMUNODEFICIENT CHILDREN

Two children with primary immunodeficiency syndromes and massive retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy demonstrated by computed tomography (CT) are reported. The CT scans, obtained with a General Electric CT/T scanner, were falsely interpreted as demonstrating lymphoma. However, pathologic specimens from both patients revealed only benign lymphoid hyperplasia of the massive type. The authors wish to point out the increased occurrence of both benign and malignant lymphoproliferation in children with immunodeficiency and to emphasize that the two entities cannot be reliably differentiated by CT.