Hepatic Kaposi’s sarcoma in a patient affected by AIDS: Correlation between histology and imaging

Journal of Ultrasound (2012) 15, 215e219

Authors: Danilo Tacconi, Alessandra Vergori, Laura Lapini, AnnaLisa Magnolfi, Andrea Carnevali, Marcello Caremani

Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS) is an aggressive, multifocal oncologic disease, which frequently involves skin and internal organs, predominantly affecting homosexual men with AIDS. Hepatic KS is rarely reported in living patients, while autopsies show liver involvement in 35% of patients with KS. Ultrasound (US) of the liver in AIDS patients shows hyperechoic nodules with periportal bands; CT shows a hypodense lesion before and after contrast administration, but in the late phase after iodinated contrast agent injection the nodules are enhanced. Those findings are considered indicative of hepatic KS.