Multicentric hyaline-vascular Castleman's disease in the retroperitoneum

BACKGROUND:Castleman’s disease is a rare lymphoproliferative disease of unknown cause.Most multicentric cases described have been of the plasma-cell variety.This article presents a case of multicentric hyaline-vascular Castleman’s disease in the retroperitoneum with the ultrasonographic and computed tomography(CT)imaging manifestations. METHODS:During routine physical examination,a mass was detected in the left abdomen of a 53-year-old man with no signs or symptoms.The patient underwent ultrasoundguided aspiration biopsy and operative excision after laboratory examination,ultrasonography,and CT. RESULTS:Ultrasonography demonstrated a dominant hypoechogenic mass with hypervascularity in the retroperitoneum.CT detected a relatively homogenous enhanced lesion and several satellite nodules.After the mass and several lymph nodes were resected, histopathologic examination demonstrated a lymphocytepredominant infiltrate surrounding the germinal centres and extensive capillary proliferation,consistent with the hyaline-vascular type of Castleman’s disease.The patient received postoperative chemotherapy and remained free of recurrence 3 months later. CONCLUSION:Ultrasonography and contrast-enhanced CT can provide a positive differential diagnosis of hyalinevascular Castleman’s disease which is a kind of giant lymph node hyperplasia with hypervascularity.