LYMPHOMA AND LEUKEMIA INVOLVING THE TESTICLES - FINDINGS ON GRAY-SCALE AND COLOR DOPPLER SONOGRAPHY

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to determine the gray-scale a nd color Doppler sonographic appearance of testicular lymphoma and leu kemia to aid in its differentiation from primary testicular neoplasms and inflammatory processes. MATERIALS AND METHODS. We retrospectively reviewed the testicular sonograms of eight male patients 5-74 years ol d (mean age, 43 years) with pathologically proved testicular leukemia or lymphoma, All patients presented with testicular enlargement. Gray- scale sonograms were obtained to determine the presence or absence of a mass, focal nodule, or diffuse infiltration, as well as the degree o f parenchymal echogenicity. Color Doppler sonography was applied in ea ch case to determine the degree of vascularity compared with normal ip silateral or contralateral testicular parenchyma, In patients with foc al, measurable lesions, the size was correlated with its color Doppler sonographic appearance. RESULTS. Gray-scale sonograms showed either h omogeneously hypoechoic testes in patients with diffuse round-cell inf iltration or multifocal hypoechoic lesions of various sizes, Five pati ents had a total of 11 focal lesions that ranged in size from 8 mm to 26 mm in maximum diameter (mean diameter, 16 mm), Color Doppler sonogr aphy revealed increased intralesional flow in all areas of lymphomatou s or leukemic involvement irrespective of lesion size. CONCLUSION. Our results show that testicular lymphoma end leukemia are hypervascular on color Doppler sonograms regardless of the size of the tumor, Althou gh color Doppler sonography may provide useful information, differenti ating round-cell infiltration from inflammatory processes of the teste s remains difficult.