The choice of treatment of malignant lymphoma may vary considerably and is mainly determined by the pathology and clinical stage. Ultrasonography is currently one of the most sensitive techniques for evaluation of the cervical area. We set out to assess the value of ultrasound imaging when added to conventional staging (physical examination, laryngoscopy, computer tomography of thorax and abdomen, bone marrow cytology and histology) of malignant lymphoma in 47 patients with untreated lymphoma. Hodgkin's disease was present in 14 patients and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 33 individuals. The ultrasound results were independently compared with physical examination of the neck. Ultrasonography revealed additional pathological lymph nodes in 6/47 cases (13%). Furthermore, the diagnosis non-Hodgkin's lymphoma could be established in one patient merely as a result of ultrasonography. Ultrasonography of the neck may reveal more pathological lymph nodes in a significant number of patients and may be of value in the initial staging of patients with malignant lymphoma.