Neurosurgical aspects of human immunodeficiency virus infection

The spectrum of neurologic disease that complicates human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is extremely broad. This article deals with those HIV-related diseases that may occur with a frequency of more than 1% and are of potential neurosurgical importance: those that result from a direct involvement of the nervous system by HIV and those that result either directly or indirectly from the concomitant immunosuppression. Infectious complications are the most common but not the sole cause of neurologic disability in the latter category. Other causes of neurologic disease seen in association with HIV infection include neoplasms, metabolic-nutritional disorders, and vascular complications.