Abdominal and pelvic CT in the HIV-positive population

Excerpt

As the incidence of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) continues to increase and long-term survival improves, it becomes increasingly important for radiologists to understand the spectrum of abdominal disease that may affect patients with AIDS [1]. Abdominal disorders are a common cause of acute symptomatology in AIDS patients, and patients with AIDS frequently display nonspecific symptoms and physical examination findings. Also, symptoms may be masked by concurrent illness and diminished immune response, making accurate clinical diagnosis difficult [2]. AIDS patients often exhibit unusual disease processes or unusual presentations of more typical diseases [2]. In addition, an immunocompromised state places AIDS patients at risk for developing numerous opportunistic infections and neoplasms [1]. Computed tomography (CT) provides the most comprehensive radiologic evaluation of the abdomen and pelvis in this setting [3]. It is therefore important for radiologists to be aware of the abnormalities that may be seen with CT due to opportunistic infections or AIDS-associated neoplasia in the abdomen and pelvis. …