BACKGROUND: Previous studies of CT enhancement of lymphomatous lymph nodes (LLN) of the neck showed that the LLN had lower enhancement values than normal lymph nodes. PURPOSE: To elucidate the contrast medium enhancement curves of LLN in the mediastinum by comparing the curves of LLN with those of normal lymph nodes, and to compare the present enhancement curves of LLN of the mediastinum with the curves of LLN of the neck from a previous similar investigation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-four consecutive patients with LLN in the mediastinum (9 with Hodgkin's lymphoma [HL]) and 23 control patients with sarcomas and thus presumably normal mediastinal nodes underwent dynamic CT examinations. The previous, similar investigation of lymph nodes of the neck comprised 28 patients with LLN and 20 control patients. RESULTS: The enhancement curves of the mediastinal LLN had significantly lower values than those of the mediastinal control nodes. The LLN of the mediastinum had lower mean peak contrast values than the corresponding nodes of the neck from a previous investigation. CONCLUSION: The comparison of enhancement curves of mediastinal LLN with mediastinal control nodes showed a marked similarity with and substantiates our previous findings in lymph nodes of the neck.
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