Extranodal lesions in Hodgkin disease may develop and spread to virtually any organ system, simulating other neoplastic or infectious diseases. It is important to determine whether extranodal involvement represents a primary manifestation or dissemination of systemic disease, which has a poorer prognosis. Computed tomography (CT) is the preferred modality, although ultrasonography and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging may also be helpful. CT is superior to conventional radiography in assessing chest disease, although MR imaging is more sensitive than CT in detecting chest wall involvement. CT is preferred for evaluating hepatic lymphoma and has proved particularly valuable in diagnosing gastric lymphoma and detecting renal or perirenal masses. CT and MR imaging are equally effective in detecting brain Hodgkin disease; however, the latter is superior in the detection of extracerebral tumor deposits in the subdural or epidural space. MR imaging is also preferred for evaluating meningeal and spinal cord involvement. Both MR imaging and CT allow excellent assessment of bone texture and accurate analysis of tumoral bone invasion, but MR imaging is superior in demonstrating bone marrow infiltration, and CT is superior in delineating the extent of cortical bone destruction. In the future, metabolic positron emission tomography may provide more information about extranodal lymphoma than do the current imaging modalities.

Little is known about longitudinal lung function variation in patients with pulmonary Langerhans' cell histiocytosis (LCH). The contribution of serial lung computed tomography (CT) to managing these patients has not been evaluated.This long-term retrospective study included 49 patients who were serially evaluated by lung CT and pulmonary function tests. The lung function variation was categorised as improvement or deterioration. The extent of the CT lesions was correlated with lung function.Lung function deteriorated in ,60% of the patients. Forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DL,CO) were the parameters that most frequently deteriorated. A subgroup of patients experienced a dramatic decline in FEV1 within 2 yrs of diagnosis. Airway obstruction was the major functional pattern observed. In a multivariate analysis, % predicted FEV1 at diagnosis was the only factor associated with the incidence of airway obstruction. The increase in cystic lesions on the lung CTs was associated with impaired lung function but did not anticipate the decline in FEV1 or DL,CO.Serial lung function tests are essential for following patients with pulmonary LCH, who frequently develop airway obstruction. A lung CT at diagnosis is informative, but routine sequential CTs seem less useful. A prospective study is needed to characterise those patients with early progressive disease.

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In the present study we describe the incidence, clinical course, and management of avascular necrosis of bone following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, and identify risk factors related to its development. All patients developing avascular necrosis of bone after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation between January 1974 and September 1992 were included in the analysis and were studied using the Hôpital Saint Louis Bone Marrow Transplant Database and hospital records. 27/727 allogeneic transplant recipients developed avascular necrosis leading to an 8.1% incidence at 5 years, by product limit estimate, ranging from 5% to 11.2%. Symptoms developed 119-1747 d (median 398 d) after transplantation. In these 27 patients a total of 52 joints were affected (mean 1.92 per patient, range 1-7). The hip joint was most often affected (69% of patients). All patients had joint pain that led to diagnosis by means of standard radiographs with or without the help of technetium-99 scans and/or magnetic resonance imaging. All but three patients received steroid therapy for acute graft-versus-host disease. Among 10 factors tested, three were shown to be significantly linked to an increased risk for developing avascular necrosis by multivariate analysis: male gender (relative risk (RR) 4.72, P = 0.002), age older than 16 (RR = 3.87, P = 0.004), and acute graft-versus-host disease requiring steroid therapy (RR = 6.30, P = 0.0002). 10 patients (37%) required joint replacement within 19 months (range 2-42) following diagnosis of avascular necrosis. In conclusion, avascular necrosis of bone is a frequent late complication of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation causing significant morbidity and requiring replacement surgery in one-third of affected patients. In this 18-year single-centre survey, older age, male gender and steroid therapy given for acute graft-versus-host disease were shown to independently increase the risk of avascular necrosis of bone.

Summary.We assessed the role of spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and bone densitometry as prognostic factors in patients with asymptomatic stage I multiple myeloma (MM) and negative skeletal survey. 55 consecutive patients underwent spinal MRI and 41 of them underwent bone densitometry by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA).Spinal MRI studies showed evidence of bone marrow involvement in 17/55 patients (31%). A diffuse pattern was present in three patients and a focal pattern in 14 patients, nine of them with only one nodular lesion. During a median follow-up of 25 months, 10 patients had disease progression, 8/17 patients with abnormal MRI and 2/38 patients with normal MRI. Median time to disease progression was not reached in both groups but was significantly different for patients with normal and those with abnormal patterns on MRI (P < 0·0001). Lumbar BMD was only slightly decreased compared with normal people (median lumbar Z score ¹ 0·43) and was not of prognostic value. Using a multivariate analysis the only two independent significant prognostic parameters were abnormal MRI (P < 0·001, HR 30·4, 95% CI 4·3-213) and bone marrow plasmacytosis > 20% (P ¼ 0·004, HR 16·4, 95% CI 2·6-104).Thus, spinal MRI but not bone densitometry, appeared to be justified in patients with stage I asymptomatic MM and negative skeletal survey.