Value of preoperative evaluation in patients with lymphoma.

The records of 136 patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma and of 32 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who underwent staging laparotomy were reviewed. There were changes in the clinical stage of 25% of the patients after laparotomy. Forty-one percent of the lymphangiograms and 55% of the liver-spleen scintiscans were inaccurate or nondiagnostic. There were few stage alterations by laparotomy in patients in clinical stages I and II. There was a higher frequency of stage changes in clinical stage III1 and III2 patients. Staging laparotomy is not recommended for clinical stages I and II but is mandatory for stages III1 and III2.