Long-term follow-up of residual mediastinal masses in treated Hodgkin's disease using MR imaging.

Abstract

Long-term follow-up of residual mediastinal masses in treated Hodgkin's disease using MR imaging. Ten patients, with substantial residual mediastinal masses of low signal intensity (SI) in the T2-weighted image (T2WI), were reinvestigated with MR 19-79 months after completing treatment of Hodgkin's disease. All patients were in complete remission. During the follow-up period, the masses had decreased in size by 0-95% (median 67%) as compared to their initial post-therapy size. The SI continued to be low in the T2WI and was unaffected by the degree of size reduction. It is speculated that these mainly fibrotic residual masses undergo slow degradation of the fibrotic part and/or resorption of remaining inflammatory tissue. It is important to understand the natural, long-term MR imaging changes of these residual masses in order more easily to recognize tumour recurrence or other pathologic conditions.