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. 2012 Dec 4;4(1):65–76. doi: 10.1007/s13244-012-0202-z

Table 1.

Differential CT imaging features of hypodense lesions of the spleen

Distribution Number of lesions Margin Mass effect Contrast enhancement Spleen size Patient history
Parasitic cyst Random Solitary Well-defined None None Normal Hydatid disease (lung, liver)
Multiple
Congenital cyst Random Solitary Well-defined Possible Trabeculae Normal
Neoplastic cyst Random Solitary Well-/ill-defined None Yes Normal Primary tumour
Multiple
False cyst Subcapsular Solitary Well-defined None None Normal Past splenic trauma
Traumatic injury Random Solitary Ill-defined Possible None Normal Trauma
Multiple
Pyogenic abscess Random Solitary Ill-defined Possible Rim enhancement Normal Infectious condition (localised/systemic)
Multiple
Sickle cell disease Random Multiple Ill-defined None None Normal (early stage) Sickle cell disease
Small (late stage)
Infarction Oriented towards capsule Solitary Well-/ill-defined None Prolonged Normal Left upper quadrant pain
Multiple Thromboembolic disease
Hamartoma Random Solitary Well-defined None Prolonged Normal Mostly incidental finding; tuberous sclerosis, Wiskott-Aldrich-like syndrome
Haemangioma Random Solitary Well-/ill-defined None Centripetal Normal Mostly incidental finding; Beckwith-Wiedemann, Klippel-Trenauney-Weber, Turner syndrome
Multiple
Lymphangioma Subcapsular Solitary Well-defined Possible Trabeculae Normal Incidental finding in child, young adult
Multiple
Sarcoidosis Random Multiple Ill-defined Possible Yes Enlarged Sarcoidosis
Peliosis Random Multiple Ill-defined Yes Similar to haemangioma Enlarged Peliosis hepatis
Littoral cell angioma Random Multiple Ill-defined None Prolonged Normal Colorectal carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, lung cancer, lymphoma, pancreatic carcinoma
Lymphoma Random Solitary Ill-defined Yes Mild Enlarged Associated lymphadenopathy; mostly patients with clinically known lymphoma
Multiple
Metastases Random Solitary Ill-defined Possible Yes Normal Breast, lung, ovarian, colorectal and gastric carcinomas; skin melanoma
Multiple Enlarged
Angiosarcoma Random Solitary Ill-defined Possible Yes Normal Mostly discovered due to early onset of distant metastases
Multiple