Brain biopsies in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

Seven brain biopsies from patients with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) were reviewed. Toxoplasmic encephalitis was diagnosed in five patients, neurotuberculosis in one patient, and no diagnosis was made in the seventh patient. Frozen sections and smears enabled a rapid diagnosis to be made in four patients. Routine histochemical analysis was diagnostic in five patients, and the immunoperoxidase technique for Toxoplasma gondii was required for diagnosis in an additional case. Brain biopsy is a valuable and safe method in the evaluation of mass lesions in patients with AIDS.