[Endoscopic cholangiography in biliary tract diseases in HIV+ patients]

Biliary tract involvement in the course of the infection by HIV was first described in 1983. Since then, various opportunistic infections have been responsible of different biliary lesions, coming to a new entity called "cholangiopathy associated to HIV". Our aim was to determined the use of ERCP in the management of HIV patients with cholestasis. From August 1994 to October 1997, 11 HIV patients (8 men, 3 women, mean age 35 y.) were submitted to ERCP because of jaundice (n = 8), upper right abdominal pain (n = 8), fever (n = 6), pruritus (n = 5) and elevated alkaline phosphatase (n-10). In 7 the diagnosis of AIDS had already be made. All had hepatobiliary ultrasound and endoscopic periampullar duodenal mucosa biopsy was taken in 7. According to Cello, 4 types of radiologic lesions were considered: 1) Papillary stenosis with dilated extrahepatic biliary tract. 2) Sclerosing cholangitis (focal intra or extrahepatic stenosis and dilatations). 3) Association of types 1 and 2.4) Choledocal long stenosis in the absence of previous biliary surgery or chronic pancreatitis. Five patients (45%) had biliary abnormalities; in 3 related to HIV infection: sclerosing cholangitis (n = 2) and papillary stenosis (n = 1). Two had choledocal stones. Four had upper right abdominal pain and dilated bile ducts at ultrasound. Cryptosporidium was found in duodenal mucosa in one patient with sclerosing cholangitis and in the patient with papillary stenosis. Biliary stents were placed without sphincterotomy in 2, with relief of pain and improving of cholestasis in only one. The choledocal stones were removed endoscopically in one patient and by surgery in the other.

The ERCP is a useful method in the diagnosis and treatment of the biliary tract abnormalities associated to HIV.