Distribution of abdominal and pelvic Hodgkin disease: implications for CT scanning

Computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis is frequently performed for the staging of abdominal and pelvic lymphoma. Certain limited CT protocols have been nearly as accurate as more complete examinations at defining the extent of lymphadenopathy and the response to therapy, with the advantages of decreased scanning time and patient radiation dose. We reviewed abdominal and pelvic CT scans and reports of 58 patients with Hodgkin disease to determine whether the entire abdomen and pelvis must always be scanned in such patients. Pelvic adenopathy without concurrent abdominal adenopathy was present in only one of 58 patients, and that patient presented clinically with inguinal adenopathy. These findings are supported by larger pathologic studies showing that Hodgkin disease always spreads contiguously. Patients with Hodgkin disease presenting above the diaphragm should undergo abdominal CT for staging; if the abdomen is normal, the pelvis need not be scanned. For Hodgkin patients with clinical or CT evidence of disease below the diaphragm, both abdomen and pelvis should be scanned.