[Bone marrow involvement in Hodgkin's disease: MR tomography and chemical-shift imaging]

The ranking of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and chemical shift imaging (CSI) of the bone marrow was assessed in 30 patients in the initial staging of Hodgkin's disease or in the restaging after relapse. The results were compared with other staging procedures, especially trephine biopsies. Pathologic findings were divided into diffuse and focal lesions resulting in a better differentiation between malignant infiltrations and unspecific marrow reactions that are common in Hodgkin's disease. Diffuse changes were unspecific, a diffuse marrow infiltration could not be established in 7 patients. Focal lesions proved to be infiltrations in 6 of 7 patients; only in one case an unspecific marrow reaction was found on histology. CSI showed a pathological increase of the relative water signal in focal and diffuse marrow changes, and made no individual diagnostic contribution.