SONOGRAPHIC CRITERIA FOR THE STAGING AND FOLLOW-UP OF MALIGNANT-LYMPHOMAS

Ultrasonography is an integral part of the radiological imaging of mal ignant lymphomas for staging, therapy planning, monitoring, follow-up, post-therapeutic care, and detection of recurrences, as well as the d iagnostic differentiation of benign lesions and metastasis of solid tu mors. None of the imaging methods, including sonography, however, can safely determine the stage (UICC certainty level C4) in agreement with the pathohistological examination. Also considering the clinical appe arance the sonographic criteria in the synoptic evaluation will nevert heless provide important indications for diagnosis and therapy plannin g. Not only changes in size and shape, but also the echogenicity (gray -scale histogram) and vascularization (color Doppler) of nodal and ext ranodal processes are decisive criteria for estimating the therapeutic response rates and detecting relapses.