ULTRASOUND DATA ON THE SOLID ORGANS OF TH E ABDOMEN IN STAGE-IV HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS INFECTION - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY OF 101 CENTRALAFRICAN PATIENTS

A systematic abdominal study of the solid organs of the abdomen (liver , spleen, pancreas, kidneys) carried out in one hundred patients from Central Africa suffering from full blown AIDS revealed disseminated hy perechoic liver in 37 cases and hypoechoic nodules of the spleen in 1 0 cases. The combination with abdominal adenopathy and/or serous exuda tes (peritoin, pleura, pericardium) suggested disseminated tuberculosi s. Twenty of the 37 patients with diffusely hyperechoic liver presente d whith tuberculosis which was confirmed by bacteriological data (AARB present in the sputum) in 13 cases. Of the 10 patients presenting wit h hypoechoic nodules of the spleen, 5 presented with confirmed tubercu losis. These 10 patients were all considered to have disseminated tube rculosis. In view of the current high incidence of extrapulmonary or d isseminated tuberculosis occuring in a context of AIDS and the relativ e infrequency of positive tests for Mycobacterium, abdominal ultrasoun d must be coupled with chest X-rays in screening and prompt follow-up for TB instigated in HIV-positive adult Africans.