Liver-spleen scintigraphy in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

The liver-spleen scintigrams of eight patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) were reviewed to characterize the abnormal findings and to assess the diagnostic utility of scintigraphy in evaluating these patients for hepatic and splenic disease. Hepatosplenomegaly was present on the scintigrams of six patients. Additional findings included a solitary hepatic defect in a patient with Kaposi sarcoma and liver metastasis, multiple hepatic defects in a patient with multiple hemangiomas, decreased splenic activity in a patient with lymphoma, and markedly diminished splenic activity in a patient with thrombocytopenic purpura. Hepatosplenomegaly is the most common abnormal scintigraphic finding in AIDS patients. However, the presence of other hepatic or splenic parenchymal scintigraphic abnormalities suggests an underlying secondary pathologic process. Liver-spleen scintigraphy can be a reliable and valid adjunct to the diagnosis of occult hepatic or splenic disease in AIDS patients.