[Langerhans' cell histiocytosis of the liver. Differential diagnosis of a rare chronic destructive sclerosing cholangitis]. / Langerhans-Zell-Histiozytose der Leber. Differenzialdiagnose einer seltenen destruierenden, sklerosierenden Gallenwegserkrankung.

We report on the difficult differential diagnosis of liver involvement in disseminated Langerhans' cell histiocytosis (LCH). Three years after treatment of LCH involving the skull and pelvic bones, an 18-year-old girl presented with abdominal pain and cholestatic liver disease. At this time, liver biopsy showed portal infiltrates which were diagnosed as chronic non-suppurative destructive cholangitis. Two years later, she was icteric under progredient hepatic failure. A second liver biopsy revealed biliary fibrosis and granulomatous inflammation with destruction of the portal bile ducts. The morphological changes in both liver biopsies could be identified as LCH by immunohistochemical detection of CD1a and S-100-positive Langerhans' cells. Morphological changes and clinical findings in LCH of the liver may resemble primary sclerosing cholangitis or chronic non-suppurative destructive cholangitis. Therefore, LCH is an important differential diagnosis of chronic destructive cholangitis with cholestatic liver disease, especially in children and young adults. The diagnosis can be verified by S-100 and CD1a immunohistochemistry.

First-line ritonavir/indinavir 100/800 mg twice daily plus nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors in a German multicentre study: 48-week results.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate safety and efficacy of the protease inhibitor combination ritonavir/indinavir 100/800 mg twice daily plus 2-3 nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) in antiretroviral-naive patients. METHODS: Within this open-label, uncontrolled multicentre trial, antiretroviral-naive patients (n = 57) with median baseline HIV-RNA of 308,000 copies/mL (range 170-3.01 million copies/mL) and median CD4 cell count of 50 cells/microL (range 0-853 cells/microL) were started on 2-3 NRTIs plus ritonavir/indinavir 100/800 mg twice daily. CD4 cell counts and HIV-RNA were determined at weeks 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24 and 48. Statistical analysis was performed on treatment as well as intent-to-treat. RESULTS: Viral load decreased by a median of 3.79 log10 copies/mL (range 2.0-4.60 log10 copies/mL) until week 48. At week 48, 23/57 (40%, intent-to-treat) patients showed a viral load