Renal sonography in American Burkitt lymphoma

Abstract

Renal involvement is a common finding at necropsy in patients with American Burkitt lymphoma, but its in vivo sonographic features have received little attention in the literature. Of 29 patients with American Burkitt lymphoma who underwent sonography, 10 were found to have renal involvement. The 10 patients demonstrated a range of abnormalities, notably renomegaly (nine patients), diffuse increase in cortical echogenicity (six), and focal renal masses (three). The focal infiltrations were, unexplicably, hypoechoic in two patients and hyperechoic in one. Hydronephrosis was seen in five patients. One patient had evidence of calcium phosphate renal stones. Response to therapy can be assessed by changes in renal size and cortical echogenicity, as well as disappearance of focal lesions.