MR imaging of infradiaphragmatic lymphadenopathy in children and adolescents with Hodgkin disease: comparison with lymphography and CT.

The ability of short-inversion-time inversion recovery (STIR) magnetic resonance imaging to depict infradiaphragmatic lymphadenopathy was evaluated in 25 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed Hodgkin disease. All patients underwent computed tomography (CT) and multiplanar STIR imaging prior to lymphography (LAG). The STIR and CT images were evaluated for paraaortic and parailiac node enlargement. Findings were compared with LAG findings, which showed the architectural pattern of the opacified lymph nodes. In the upper paraaortic region, STIR imaging showed more abnormal nodes than did CT or LAG. In the lower paraaortic and parailiac regions, lymph node enlargement was shown equally well with STIR and LAG, whereas CT showed fewer enlarged lymph nodes. LAG showed paraaortic or parailiac focal tumor infiltration in three patients with normal-size nodes, and hyperplasia in two patients with enlarged nodes. STIR imaging showed more abnormal infradiaphragmatic nodes than did CT because of improved lymph node conspicuity. STIR imaging may be a useful addition to CT for staging pediatric Hodgkin disease.