       Document 0450
 DOCN  M9620450
 TI    [Early cerebral lesions in HIV infection. Postmortem radio-pathologic
       correlations in non-AIDS asymptomatic seropositive patients]
 DT    9602
 AU    Hassine D; Gray F; Chekroun R; Chretien F; Marc B; Durigon M;
       Schouman-Claeys E; Service de Radiologie, Hopital Raymond Poincare,
       Faculte de; Medecine, Paris-Ouest, Garches.
 SO    J Neuroradiol. 1995 Sep;22(3):148-60. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/96043308
 AB    In order to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of MRI in the
       very early stages of HIV infection, we have compared the results of
       postmortem brain MRI and neuropathological studies in 7 asymptomatic HIV
       seropositive individuals, 8 seronegative controls with similar cause of
       death and 6 patients who died of AIDS in the absence of focal cerebral
       changes (opportunistic infection or tumour). Cerebral atrophy was
       consistently evaluated by both techniques. Seropositive asymptomatic
       cases were significantly more atrophic than the seronegative controls
       and significantly less atrophic than AIDS patients. Small high signal
       intensity areas in the white matter and basal ganglia were not
       significantly more frequent in seropositives than in seronegatives. No
       corresponding lesion was found at neuropathological examination. Diffuse
       myelin pallor of the cerebral white matter on myelin preparation was
       somewhat more severe in seropositive asymptomatic cases than in
       seronegative controls and less than in AIDS cases. However, these
       differences were not statistically significant. No significant
       correlation could be found between neuropathological myelin pallor and
       diffuse signal abnormalities of the white matter on MRI. We conclude
       that brain abnormalities are present at the early asymptomatic stage of
       HIV infection. These include vasculitis with opening of the blood brain
       barrier and consequent myelin pallor and gliosis of the white matter,
       and moderate brain atrophy. However MRI correlates are discrete or non
       specific on post mortem examination, and some probably correspond to
       scars of transient vascular inflammation. It is very unlikely that MRI
       examination has any diagnostic or prognostic value at the early stages
       of the disease.
 DE    Adult  Atrophy  Autopsy  AIDS Dementia Complex/*DIAGNOSIS/*PATHOLOGY
       Basal Ganglia Diseases/DIAGNOSIS/PATHOLOGY  Blood-Brain Barrier
       Brain/*PATHOLOGY  Cerebrovascular Disorders/DIAGNOSIS/PATHOLOGY
       Comparative Study  English Abstract  Female  Gliosis/DIAGNOSIS/PATHOLOGY
       Human  HIV Seronegativity  HIV Seropositivity/PATHOLOGY  *Magnetic
       Resonance Imaging  Male  Middle Age  Myelin Sheath/PATHOLOGY  Prognosis
       Support, Non-U.S. Gov't  Vasculitis/DIAGNOSIS/PATHOLOGY  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

