title: Role of brain biopsy in the management of focal brain lesions in HIV-infected patients. Gruppo Italiano Cooperativo AIDS & Tumori.
abstract: In this multicenter, retrospective study of 160 brain biopsies in the assessment of HIV-related focal brain lesions, diagnostic sensitivity was acceptable (87%), but the procedure carried considerable morbidity (7.5%) and mortality (3.1%). Moreover, it is not always possible to initiate the changes in therapy indicated by the results, and overall survival remains poor, with a median of 2 months. Criteria for brain biopsy for the diagnosis of focal brain lesions should be redefined to include selected patients for whom a less invasive approach does not yield a definitive diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, IRCCS L. Spallanzani, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Antinori
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ammassari
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Luzzati
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castagna
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maserati
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rizzardini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ridolfo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fasan
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vaccher
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Landonio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scerrati
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rocca
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Butti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nicolato
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lazzarin
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Tirelli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis