An Evaluation of Lymphadenopathy in Systemic Disease

Abstract

Biopsy of lymph nodes is frequently required in patients with lymphadenopathy when other routine investigative procedures are not diagnostic. In many instances the histologic pattern is characteristic of a particular disease. However, in a significant number of cases, the histologic changes are not diagnostic. Often this latter group of patients have manifestations of acute, severe disease or an illness which is insidious but progressive. In some the disease is fatal. Thus, the clinician has the problem of therapy and prognosis in severe, but undiagnosed illness. The present study represents an attempt to determine the ultimate course of the illness of patients in whom biopsy of lymph nodes was not diagnostic. It was also decided to reexamine the material from biopsy of lymph nodes to determine whether there was recognizable relationships between the histologic or cytologic changes in the nodes and the diseases which developed. Materials and Methods All patients who