The introduction of computed tomography
(CT) has greatly improved lymphoma
staging procedures and is
presently the most common and most important
radiologic technique employed for this
purpose and for evaluating the response to
treatment. However, since CT only gives an
anatomic measure of the tumor, in some cases
(particularly those with bulky mediastinal
involvement), it is not useful in distinguishing
between non-tumor images like fibrotic scars
and residual neoplastic tissue following treatment.
In such cases it may be difficult to reach a
conclusion about the state of remission and to
make an appropriate decision regarding subsequent
treatment. Magnetic resonance (MR),
with T1 and T2 sequences, and gallium 67 (67
Ga) scintigraphy (planar and SPECT) may help
to elaborate a functional image that permits
more careful appreciation of the nature of post
therapeutic residual tissue.1-5 Furthermore, 67
Ga planar total body scintigraphy can detect
lymphomatous involvement in sites that usually
cannot be explored by thoracic and abdominal
CT, which is currently used for staging purposes.
We report here the images from two patients
affected by Hodgkin’s disease (HD), obtained
by CT, MR and 67 Ga planar and SPECT
scintigraphy.
