Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Staging of Hodgkin’s Disease and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Abstract

Treatment and prognosis of patients with Hodgkin’s disease (HD) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) vary with the extent of the disease at the initial diagnosis. Several authors have reported on the role played by computed tomography (CT) in the staging process [1, 2], and in particular it has been suggested that CT renders chest tomography and even bipedal lymphangiography (LAG) unnecessary [3, 4], mostly for its capability in detecting extra-nodal involvement or adenopathies not opacified by LAG. Furthermore, the frequently low accuracy rates offered by the various imaging modalities, especially as regards the diagnosis of hepatosplenic or bone marrow involvement, often require invasive staging procedures accurately to detect extranodal disease. The goal of our study was to evaluate the staging possibilities of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as well as to assess its value as an alternative tool to the invasive staging procedures.