Background: Malignant lymphoma is a common primary hematopoietic malignancy. Cross sectional imaging is used commonly. The wide spread availability and diagnostic potential of ultrasound (US) place it at the forefront in the setting of resource limited countries that do not have access to the full range of imaging modalities and in which patients frequently present in the late stages of diseases.
Objective: Assess the patterns of abdominal organ involvement and ultrasound findings in patients with abdominal lymphoma.
Material and methods: 69 consecutive patients who came to the US unit of Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital (TASH) with the diagnosis of lymphoma were scanned. All examinations were performed by the authors based on standard scanning techniques. Cine and spot images were stored for analysis and finding recorded on a preprepared and pretested format.
Results: Eighty nine percent of the patients were below the age of 60 and 75% were males. Chest x-ray and US were the modalities commonly used, while only 6 of 69 had computed tomography (CT) scans. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma account for 81% of the cases. Lymph nodes were the most common organ involved and abdominal nodes accounted for 61% of the cases. Homogenous and hypoechoic echo appearances were seen in 52% and their pattern of involvement comprised multiple discrete nodes. Comparable overall patterns of involvement were seen in both pathologically confirmed and unconfirmed lymphoma cases. Liver followed by spleen was the most common abdominal organ involved, and organ enlargement and/or multiple variable sized hypoechoic lesions were the most common US findings.
Conclusion: Our study emphasizes the continued role of US for lymphoma patients. The US findings and pattern of organ involvement was found to be comparable with previous studies.