Differentiation of tuberculosis from lymphomas in neck lymph nodes with multidetector-row computed tomography

Tuberculosis (TB) of the cervical lymph nodes may mimic lymphoma.

To evaluate multidetector-row computed tomographic (MDCT) imaging criteria for differentiating between the two diseases.

We retrospectively reviewed the anatomical distribution and CT enhancement patterns of the nodes in 81 patients, 27 (33%) with untreated TB and 54 (67%) with untreated lymphomas involving cervical lymph nodes. Of the patients with lymphomas, 19 (35%) had Hodgkin's disease and 35 (65%) had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

TB predominantly involved the upper cervical nodes. The supraclavicula fossa nodes on MDCT were involved more often in Hodgkin's disease (n = 15, 79%) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (n = 25, 71%) than in TB (n = 3, 11%). Tuberculous lymphadenopathy commonly showed peripheral enhancement, frequently with a multilocular appearance. Peripheral enhancement was significantly more frequent in TB (n = 19, 70%) than in Hodgkin's disease (n = 1, 5%) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (n = 1, 3%), but homogeneous enhancement was less common in the TB group.

Our findings indicate that a specific enhancement pattern of lymphadenopathy seen on MDCT was useful in differentiating between untreated TB and lymphomas of the cervical lymph nodes.