Computer - aided processing ultrasonic diagnostic images of the children lymph nodes at lymphomas and reactive hyperplasias

Purpose: The aim of our investigation is studying the quantitative indicators of the blood flow in LN of children and teenagers with the first discovered Hodgkin disease, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and BL on the base of the computer-aided processing the ultrasonic diagnostic images. Material and methods: Pathologically enlarged cervical lymph nodes were evaluated during the primary ultrasonic investigation of 65 children of both sexes of age from 2 to 17. Clinical (n=19 at benign lymphoadenopathy) and morphological (n=31 at Hodgkin’s disease, n=9 at non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and n=6 at benign lymphoadenopathy) diagnosis verification was carried on with all patients. Maximal and minimal blood flow linear velocities in the main intranodal artery, resistance index and Color Pixel Density were determined. The program has been worked out for processing lymph nodes ultrasonic images obtained in one of four modes: gray scale; color flow mapping; power Doppler imaging; pulsed waved Doppler. The list of the measured parameters is defined in each mode. Results: Were received results: 1) of the grayscale images analysis, 2) of the vascular patterns in a mode color flow mapping, 3) of the flow analysis and index of the intranodal resistive in the Hodgkin disease and lymphopathy. They confirm prospect of inclusion to the computer algorithm of differentiation lymphopathy and the affected lymph nodes of the information received by means of modern technologies of the diagnostic ultrasound at the time of acknowledgements of the morphological diagnosis. The developed method optimizing the description of the ultrasound image of the lymphatic tissue, allows to distinguish the signs in multistage process of classification with the purpose to achieve criteria of defeat in the lymphomas. Conclusions: The work results consist in definition of the functional features being the pathognomic ones with the statistically acceptable probability at the differential diagnostics of lymphomas and reactive hyperplasias.