Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 6, Issue 5 237-242, Copyright © 1987 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Abdominal lymphadenopathy in sarcoidosis
S. J. Deutch, M. A. Sandler and L. B. Tankanow
Medical records of 370 patients with sarcoidosis were reviewed. Of these,
32 had a computerized tomographic (CT) and/or ultrasound (US) examination
of the abdomen. Two patients had extensive abdominal adenopathy: one was
diagnosed by CT and the other by US. Both patients had conventional chest
radiographic findings characteristic of sarcoidosis. In addition, five
patients had hepatosplenomegaly; three had only hepatomegaly; three had
only splenomegaly. There exists a small and previously unsuspected
incidence of patients with extensive abdominal adenopathy in sarcoidosis.
Although lymphoma and metastatic disease are far more common causes of
extensive abdominal lymphadenopathy, sarcoidosis should be considered in
the appropriate clinical setting. In many cases, correlation with
conventional chest radiographs may be confirmatory.
