[Clinical relevance of abdominal imaging examinations in malignant lymphoma]

We prospectively evaluated the clinical importance of abdominal imaging examinations (US, CT, upper gastrointestinal barium X-ray) in 233 consecutive patients who gave informed consent for the examinations. The examinations revealed intra-abdominal lesions in 99 of 233 patients. Intra-abdominal lymph nodes were most frequently affected, followed by stomach, spleen, liver, small intestine and large intestine. In Hodgkin's lymphoma, no gastrointestinal involvement was noted but one in the small intestine. Prognosis was poorer with advancing stage according to Ann Arbor classification. However, the presence or absence of intra-abdominal lesions did not influence the prognosis when patients were matched for the stage. Abdominal imaging examinations altered the bed-side staging to more advanced stages in 22 of 163 patients with stage I through stage III lymphoma, influencing prognosis as well as the decision of therapeutic modalities. These three diagnostic modalities were complementary to one another. In conclusion, every one of these abdominal imaging examinations is important for planning the management of patients with malignant lymphoma.