Twenty-one patients with lymphoma were evaluated for the presence of hepatic scan defects following radiotherapy to fields which included the left lobe of the liver. Two distinct patterns of hepatic scan defects were notedcolon; (a) a radiation port defect (Type I), and (b) attenuation of the left lobe (Type II). Five of seven patients evaluated within six weeks after radiotherapy demonstrated Type I defects but all seven subsequently developed Type II defects. Seventeen of the 21 patients developed Type II defects which have persisted (follow-up, up to 66 months). These characteristic defects should not be confused with other causes of hepatic scan defects in evaluating patients with lymphoma. The defects occur in a high percentage of patients and may persist for long periods.
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