Ultrasonography of Hodgkin's disease in the liver and spleen.

Ultrasound findings of 39 spleens and 68 livers in which histology was obtained at laparotomy or autopsy within a month of the examination and four livers in which abnormalities were found clinically by other methods during long-term follow-up were reviewed to evaluate the various sonographic appearances and the accuracy in detecting involvement of the spleen and liver. Only one out of 17 positive spleens had definite ultrasonic focal lesions. Not only small splenic Hodgkin's foci but also larger ones were overlooked. Of 10 positive livers, six showed diffuse inhomogeneity throughout the liver, two showed multiple, well-defined, echo-poor lesions but two showed no significant ultrasonic abnormality even in retrospect. No correlation was found between the type of Hodgkin's disease and the ultrasonic appearance of involved livers. Ultrasonic examination, however, could differentiate other liver abnormalities, such as fatty changes, a cyst and a thrombosed haemangioma from infiltration of Hodgkin's disease. In one case, splenic lesions became echogenic following-chemotherapy.