Early supradiaphragmatic hodgkin's disease: High-dose gallium scanning obviates the need for staging laparotomy

Abstract
Experience with 16 sequential patients with Stage IA/IIA Supradiaphragmatic Hodgkin's disease who had no evidence of intra‐abdominal disease using high‐dose gallium and computerized tomography scanning is reported. Subsequent staging laparotomy also was negative in all these patients and did not alter management decisions. It is suggested that high‐dose, whole‐body gallium scanning and other noninvasive staging procedures give reliable data for therapeutic decisions.