The experiences with stereotactic biopsies in 121 patients with AIDS c
ompared to 142 non-AIDS patients are presented. In the AIDS group most
of the tumors (38) were lymphomas (34). Other frequent diagnoses have
been progressive multifocal leukencephalopathy (20) and toxoplasmosis
(16)-although most AIDS patients already had been treated for toxopla
smosis, and those who responded to it did not undergo biopsy. Initiall
y among the AIDS patients there was a tendency of delayed intracranial
bleeding (4 cases, 3 of them fatal). After initiation of a prophylact
ic coagulopathy protocol no other such complications have occurred in
the following 70 biopsies.