Doppler findings in Castleman disease - A rare case

Castleman's disease is a rare, benign disease of unknown cause that induces reactive lymph node hyperplasia. It has two histologic subtypes: hyaline vascular and plasma cellular. A definitive diagnosis necessitates tissue biopsy. A specimen may be even misdiagnosed as lymphoma in frozen section. Surgery is the treatment of choice for the solitary form, whereas chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and steroids are proposed for the multicentric type. When this condition affects the neck, it usually presents as a solitary neck mass. Multiple neck masses are an uncommon presentation of Castleman disease affecting the neck. Most Castleman's disease lesions appear as nonspecific, well-defined hypoechoic masses on sonography. Sonography remains useful for the evaluation of cervical and axillary Castleman's diseases, in which the depiction of prominent peripheral vessels and penetrating feeding vessels on Doppler sonograms can suggest the diagnosis of this uncommon disease. Castleman's disease of the neck on CT and MRI scan has been described as well-circumscribed homogeneous mass lesion with moderate to intense enhancement.