Sonography of cutaneous non-Hodgkin's lymphomas

Sonographic examination (10 MHz) of 25 patients with cutaneous non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of B-cell type (10 patients), of T-cell type (nine patients) and non-B non-T-cell type (six patients) demonstrated 'diffuse' (11 patients) and 'focal' patterns (14 patients): the former, which can be described as an homogeneous, hyperechoic thickening of the dermis, occasionally involving the subcutaneous layer, was exclusively observed in T-cell (nine cases) and non-T non-B cell (two cases) types, while the latter, characterized by small, hypoechoic and well-defined nodules, was observed in B-cell (10 cases) and non-T non-B-cell (four cases) types. These observations indicate a possible relationship between histologic and sonographic appearance.