NEW DIAGNOSTIC-IMAGING PROCEDURES IN HODGKINS-DISEASE

A variety of new diagnostic imaging methods have been developed in rec ent years for patients with Hodgkin's disease in an attempt to improve the detection of spleen and bone marrow involvement within the scope of staging and to discriminate between fibrosis and vital lymphoma aft er treatment. Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy has been performed on ly in a small number of patients to date and further studies must be c onducted. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as the established method, has shown its potential in several studies in detecting both spleen a nd bone marrow involvement; MRI investigations, however, only visualiz e a limited portion of the body and therefore must be performed in are as of clinically suspected disease. Immunoscintigraphy with radiolabel ed antibodies is still in a preclinical or at most early clinical stag e of evaluation and first results have to be confirmed in a controlled trial. Positron emission tomography (PET) with [F-18]fluorodeoxy-gluc ose (FDG) is a technique which is still not a routine clinical procedu re. However, whole-body FDG-PET seems to be a promising method in stag ing and follow-up of lymphoma, because it offers the unique capability of visualising metabolic activity throughout the entire body. Long-te rm multicenter studies are necessary to confirm these promising initia l data. In the future, whole-body FDG-PET will probably be the techniq ue of choice for immunoscintigraphic studies with radiolabeled monoclo nal antibodies and studies on the pharmacokinetics of cytostatic compo unds.