[Focal echogenic splenic involvement in malignant lymphoma: a diagnostic problem].

AIM

The aim of our study was to describe clinical data, frequency of the findings, sonographic patterns, confirmation of diagnosis, and differential diagnosis of focal echorich splenic lymphoma involvement.

PATIENTS

During the last 20 years a focal splenic lesion was found in 178 patients with malignant lymphoma. Echorich splenic lesions were seen in 11 out of 178 cases (6.2%).

METHODS

Splenic size, echomorphology of lesions, size and number of lesions, and presentation during sonographic follow-up examination were presented.

RESULTS

Echorich infiltrates of the spleen were predominantly seen in patients with low grade Non-Hodgkin-Lymphoma (9 out of 11), the size of lesions mostly was less than 3 cm in diameter (9 out of 11), the underlying splenic size was over 8 x 20 cm in 9 out of 11 patients. Diagnosis was confirmed by sonographic follow-up (n = 11) and autopsy (n = 1).

CONCLUSION

Echorich splenic lymphoma involvement is a rare event and is characterised by a variable presentation during follow-up. Up to date the clinic significance of our observation is still unclear.