title: Bone marrow biopsy in 50 AIDS patients: a diagnostic approach.
abstract: Fifty bone marrow biopsies (BMB) and aspirates (BMA) of AIDS patients were examined to identify possible morphologic signs of HIV infection. The following parameters were evaluated: 1) cellularity; 2) myelo-erythroid ratio (M:E); 3) morphology of haemopoietic lineages; 4)plasmacell amount; 5) lymphocytes amount; 6)reticulin content. Hypercellularity, increase in number and morphological alterations of megakaryocytes, raised reticulin content, mild plasmacytosis and frequent presence of reactive lymphoid aggregates are features suggestive, thought not diagnostic, for HIV infection on BMB. It results that bone marrow morphologic examination in HIV-positive patients plays a distinctive role in ruling out the presence of opportunistic infections or associated neoplasias (haematologic or not) and in contributing to clarify the significance of a peripheral pancytopenia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Istituto Scientifico H.S. Raffaele, Milan.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ricci
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ponzoni
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Zoldan
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Germagnoli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Faravarelli
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000473:pathology*; D001855:Bone Marrow Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors