Two-dimensional US attenuation maps of the liver in lymphoma and Hodgkin disease

Two-dimensional US attenuation images of the liver were generated for the first time in 70 patients with lymphoma and Hodgkin disease. The measured mean attenuation values ranged from 0.1 to 0.71 dB/cm-MHz. The attenuation images showed different patterns in different patient groups. In the first group of 21 patients, of whom 18 were in the active stage of disease or taking steroid therapy, the images showed dark gray shades and had low attenuation values. The images of 11 patients returned to intermediate gray shades (normal images) during remission. In the second group of 17 patients, all of whom had had chemotherapy months to years earlier, the images showed high attenuation. In the third group of 32 patients, attenuation images of the liver were similar to images of normal volunteers. Some of these patients were in relapse, others were in remission. The regular B-mode US scans were considered normal in 64 of the 70 patients. The use of attenuation US images seems to be a sensitive method of demonstrating liver processes that cause abnormal changes in local US attenuation