[Kaposi sarcoma of the gastrointestinal tract in AIDS. Morphologic findings and differential diagnostic aspects].

At autopsies of 20 patients with AIDS, 7 cases with gastrointestinal involvement by Kaposi's sarcoma were observed. The lesions were found in nearly all parts of the digestive canal; although we observed a certain accumulation in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Macroscopically the spectrum of appearances extended from red macules in the mucosal plane to plaquelike indurations of the wall and polypoid, hemorrhagic mucosal nodules. A certain, stage-dependent correlation between the macroscopic presentation and the histologic findings was found. In consideration of differential diagnostic aspects the morphologic findings in different tumor-stages are presented.