Study of primary thyroid lymphoma：ultrasonography vs pathology

LIU Junying; WANG Yong; ZOU Shuangmei; CUI Ningyi; HAN Jie; ZHANG Rui

doi:10.19300/j.2017.L4604

Abstract：Objective To study the ultrasonographic features and their corresponding pathological appearances of primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL). Methods The ultrasonographic features of 29 cases with PTL were analyzed and compared with the result of pathology by using the color Doppler ultrasound scanner and the histological and immunohistochemical staining sections. In the 29 cases, there were 3 males and 26 females with a median age of 67 years old, which aged from 50 to 83 years. Results In 29 cases, 15 patients had bilateral thyroid involvement, 13 patients had unilateral thyroid involvement and 1 patient had isthmus involvement. The sonographic findings of primary thyroid lymphoma could be classified into:diffuse type (9/29), diffuse type with multiple nodular type (12/29), mass type (7/29), and multiple nodular type (1/29). In 29 cases, 21 cases (72.4%) have cervical lymph node enlargement. Each pathologic type of PLT had its specific sonographic appearances. The mucosa associated lymphoid tissue node extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma showed diffuse type on ultrasonography (3/4);The mixed type lymphoma showed diffuse type with multiple nodules (7/7);The diffuse large B-cell non Hodgkin’s lymphoma showed diversity on ultrasonography (5 cases of diffuse type, 4 cases of diffuse type with multiple nodules and 7 cases of mass type);And the full of T cell/tissue cells large B cell lymphoma showed diffuse type. Conclusions Different pathological types of PTL have their specific characteristics on sonography.