AIDS-related lymphoma: radiologic features in pediatric patients.

Abstract

To determine the clinical, pathologic, and radiologic features in pediatric patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related lymphoma and to compare these features with those in adult patients with AIDS-related lymphoma. Clinical and radiologic findings were retrospectively reviewed in nine children (aged 1-15 years) with AIDS-related lymphoma. All patients had neoplastic changes that were not consistent with hyperplastic lymphoid tissue. The children underwent ultrasonography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and plain radiography. Sites of involvement by malignant non-Hodgkin lymphoma at diagnosis were the liver (n = 7), spleen (n = 5), kidney (n = 4), central nervous system (n = 2), and testis and bone (n = 1). Symptoms included seizures, respiratory distress, testicular swelling, and increased abdominal girth. Children with AIDS-related lymphoma have symptoms distinct from those found in adults, but clinical, radiologic, and pathologic findings show that almost any anatomic site in these children can be involved.