Multiple Targetoid Lesions in the Spleen: Sonographic Findings of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Their Relation to Effective Staging

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most prevalent hematologic malignancy of adults in the western hemisphere. Involvement of the spleen is not uncommon, often presenting as diffuse enlargement due to infiltration of neoplastic cells. A case is presented of an 81-year-old woman with a past medical history of CLL who was incidentally found to have multiple, focal splenic infiltrates on sonography. The patient had a normal sized spleen, which is a less common occurrence with splenic invasion by CLL. As current CLL guidelines discourage imaging but rely on evidence of organ involvement, this finding was critical in staging the patient properly. The sonographic appearance of this rare condition is described, and the advantages of sonography in its evaluation are discussed.

Source: Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography - July 13, 2015 Category: Radiology Authors: Bassuner, K. J., Kirkpatrick, D. L., Northrup, M., Connors, J. P. Tags: Case Studies Source Type: research