Infiltration of cervical lymph nodes by B- and T-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma and Hodgkins lymphoma: Preliminary ultrasonic findings

Ultrasonography has been used in the evaluation of enlarged lymph nodes in patients with malignant lymphoma, which comprises a variety of histopathological subtypes. We assessed ultrasonic findings of infiltration in cervical lymph nodes of 47 patients with previously untreated malignant lymphoma and correlated them with histopathological subtypes. Common findings among various histopathological subtypes were hypoechoic masses, spot and/or line echoes, involvement of multiple nodes, and posterior enhancement. In addition, each histopathological subtype showed characteristic findings: Hodgkinʹs disease had a contour with a lobular pattern (9/10 cases), septum-like echo (9/10 cases), and tubular structure (9/10 cases) in the internal echo, reflecting histopathologically fibrous connective tissue surrounding lymph nodes and small vessels. In B-cell lymphoma, there was characteristically a tendency for lymph node fusion (19/28 cases) and spot and/or line echoes (17/28 cases), reflecting histopathological replacement and destruction of the structure of lymph node and capsule by proliferation of lymphocytes. These findings were strengthened in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. T-cell lymphoma was distinguished from other types of lymphoma by the presence of a hilum-like echo (6/9 cases), reflecting histopathologically prominent vascularization in lymph nodes accompanied by a dilated hilum area. In summary, this preliminary study suggests that ultrasonic findings of infiltration of cervical lymph nodes in major subtypes of malignant lymphoma could reflect characteristic histopathological structures, therefore providing information helpful for differentiating them.