[Ultrasound skin findings in HIV infection by imaging with 7.5 MHz linear transducers]

Sonography is an important tool in aiding the diagnosis of tumor-like and cystic findings in the skin and soft tissues. This is also true in patients with HIV infection and AIDS. While sonography of the skin often is performed with 20-MHz transducers, also lower-frequency devices which are more readily available contribute substantially to dermatologic diagnoses. The domain of skin sonography are tumors; in the special context of AIDS, Kaposi's sarcoma and lymphomas are of major interest. The characteristic appearance of Kaposi's tumors is a spindle-shaped outline with low echogenicity and relative homogenicity. The tumor volume is easily established using measurements in two directions. Shrinkage of the volume after therapy, e.g. chemotherapy, may be documented in a more objective manner as compared to subjective rating of nodularity. Several characteristic images of Kaposi's sarcoma, lymphoma, lymph nodes, lipoma, and cysts are demonstrated in the paper.