Background: Little is known about hepatic histology in children with AIDS, although the liver is frequently involved in the course of HIV infection. The clinical utility of liver biopsy in these patients is not well-defined. We reviewed retrospectively the results of this procedure in a group of infected children better to delineate its indications.
Patients and methods: Eighteen children with AIDS underwent liver biopsy in our institution. The indications were unexplained fever in eight children, six of whom had an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and clinical suspicion of mycobacterial infection; jaundice in four; suspicion of drug toxicity (dideoxyinosine) in two; discussion of treatment for chronic hepatitis B in three; suspicion of cytomegalovirus infection in one who had also AIDS cholangiopathy.
Results: Of the six children thought to have mycobacterial infection, two had the disease on biopsy, both of whom had abnormal liver enzymes. The children with unexplained fever had nonspecific findings, except for one with lymphoid interstitial pneumonitis who had a dense lymphoid infiltrate. Of the four with jaundice two had extensive necrosis caused by adenovirus infection in one and suspected herpes simplex infection in the other. The other two with jaundice had unexplained findings, severe necrosis and fibrosis in one case and hemophagocytosis in the other one; both improved clinically. Both children with suspected dideoxyinosine hepatotoxicity had nonspecific findings. The three children with chronic hepatitis B had mild lesions that were not an indication for treatment.
Conclusions: Liver biopsy appeared to be useful in two groups of selected children with AIDS: when there is strong clinical suspicion of mycobacterial infection; and when the child is jaundiced.