[Diagnostic results of abdominal computerized tomography in HIV-infected patients]

The exact frequency of pathologic findings in abdominal computed tomograms of HIV-infected patients is not yet known. To analyse such findings, CT scans of 339 HIV-infected patients were reviewed. While over four fifths of patients displayed abnormal findings; hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, pathologically enlarged lymph nodes, and bowel wall thickening were the most common signs of disease. Only for enlarged lymph nodes could a dependency on clinical stage of the infection be demonstrated. As a conclusion, abdominal computed tomography reveals pathologic findings in the vast majority of HIV-infected patients, almost independent of clinical stage. Specifically, CT provides well documented lymph node staging. There are practically no age-or sex-dependent disease patterns in abdominal CT scans.