Gastrointestinal complications of AIDS: radiologic features

The radiologic features were examined in a retrospective review of 25 patients with gastrointestinal complications of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Factors of risk for AIDS present in these patients included homosexuality (n = 10), intravenous drug abuse (n = 7), multiple blood transfusions (n = 1), and unconfirmed or unknown factors (n = 7). Gastrointestinal abnormalities identified on radiologic studies (including upper gastrointestinal, small bowel, and barium enema studies) were correlated with histopathologic specimens and the results of bacteriologic, viral, fungal, and parasitologic studies. The most common disorders (88%) were candidal esophagitis and cytomegaloviral colitis; neoplastic involvement of the gastrointestinal tract was far less common (12%), with only two patients (8%) having Kaposi sarcoma. Gastrointestinal studies, which can provide useful if not always definitive diagnostic information, are recommended to precede more invasive diagnostic studies in evaluating patients with suspected AIDS.