Central nervous system involvement of leukemia and systemic lymphoma in children: CT and MR findings

The purpose of this paper is to retrospectively evaluate CT and MR findings of central nervous system (CNS) involvement of leukemia and systemic lymphoma in children. Over a 12-year period, sixty-five patients with leukemia and fifteen patients with systemic lymphoma underwent cerebral CT and/or MR imaging. Nine patients (11.3%) were diagnosed as CNS involvement of leukemia and lymphoma. The diagnostic criteria of CNS involvement were as follows; 1) Histological proof was confirmed by surgery, 2) Tumor cells were found in the cerebrospinal fluid examinations, 3) Increase in size of the lesion during observation without specific treatment, and 4) Response to the treatment for leukemia or lymphoma. All of nine patients fulfilled more than two criteria of 1)-4). The CT and MR abnormalities in these patients were correlated with the findings of histology, cerebrospinal fluid cytology, and/or treatment. The age of the patients ranged from 0 to 15 years old. They consisted of 6 boys and 3 girls. The CT examinations were performed before and after contrast administration. MR examinations were performed on a 1.5-T unit, and T1-weighted, T2-weighted, and proton density-weighted images were obtained using spin-echo or fast spin-echo sequences. Tumor masses were present in seven with leukemia (acute lymphoblastic leukemia 4; acute myeloblastic leukemia 1; acute promyelocytic leukemia 1; acute monocytic leukemia 1), and in two with malignant lymphoma. On the CT scan, tumor masses were hyperdense with contrast enhancement. On the MR images, their signals were variable. In all of nine patients, tumor masses were contiguous with a meningeal surface. Postcontrast T1 weighted images were valuable in demonstrating meningeal infiltration. Tumoral hemorrhage was found in two patients. In a patient with tumor at the superior sagittal sinus, venous infarct was observed. CNS leukemic and lymphomatous masses are almost hyperdense on the CT and they are characteristically contiguous with a meningeal surface. MR imaging was valuable in demonstrating meningeal infiltration. Findings of CT and MR imaging, cerebrospinal fluid examinations, and response to the treatment are useful in the differentiation of CNS involvement of leukemia and lymphoma from other lesions such as infectious diseases and leukoencephalopathy.