To evaluate the value of ultrasonography in the diagnosis of primary intestinal lymphoma (PIL) in children.

Twelve children with PIL confirmed by clinical manifestations, surgery, pathological examination in Shenzhen Children?s Hospital from January 2011 to June 2016 were enrolled. Preoperative ultrasonic image manifestations of PIL were analyzed and compared with clinical manifestations and results of pathological examinations.

In 12 cases of the PIL, lesions were located at the ileocecum in 5 cases, at the ileum in 2 cases, at the jejunum in 3 cases, at the transverse colon in 1 case and at the ascending colon in 1 case. There were two types of preoperative ultrasonic features of PIL including massive type (8 cases) and infiltrative type (4 cases) intestinal tomour. Sonography of massive type cases manifested as hypoechogenicity or extremely hypoechogenicity, indistinct boundary and rich blood flow signals, and infiltrative type cases showed diffuse thickening of the bowel wall with a central echogenic region caused by air, hypoechogenicity or extremely hypoechogenicity, inhomogenous echogenicity in some cases, indistinct boundary, intestinal peristalsis weaken or vanish and rich blood flow signals. Effusion and calcification were not found in all cases. All the cases were diagnosed as non-Hodgkin?s lymphoma by the pathological examinations including 8 cases of Burkitt lymphoma, 2 cases of follicular lymphoid tumor, 1 case of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and 1 case of B lymphoblastic lymphoma.

The clinical manifestation of most children with PIL is acute abdomen. Ultrasonic image is helpful to identify the primary intestinal lesion and is important for the early diagnosis and improving the prognosis of children with PIL.