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

Angiography of the liver and spleen was performed in 18 patients with Hodgkin's disease. The results of the angiographies have been correlated with the findings at staging laparotomy, which included wedge biopsy of the liver and splenectomy. At angiography nonspecific filling defects and dislocation of intrahepatic arteries were found in 1 patient with lymphoma in the liver. Similar filling defects in the spleen are nonspecific and may occur in both involved and uninvolved cases. No specific angiographic pattern was seen in cases with epithelioid cell granulomas in the liver or spleen. Angiography is thus of limited value in the preoperative evaluation of the liver and spleen. The only reliable method of establishing spread of the lymphoma is laparotomy.