Lymphographic aspects of the barrier function of lymph nodes in Hodgkin's disease

The persistence of Lipiodol in various lymph node groups was followed up by systematic lymphographic control. Assuming a certain relationship between the barrier function of the lymph nodes and the persistence of their image on the film the authors have tried to find out whether the duration of Lipiodol persistence may be a test for the estimation of prognosis in Hodgkin's disease. The observation of such cases has shown that Lipiodol is retained for a longer period in the external iliac and lombo-aortic lymph nodes as well as in the pathologic ones, except those with lymphocyte depletion, whereas it is very rapidly eliminated from the inguinal nodes. These findings seem to prove that Hodgkin's disease is more severe in patients in whom the barrier function of the lymph nodes is defective i.e. unable to retain the foreign substances introduced in the organism. These conclusions should be further verified by comparison with other clinical and biologic factors.