title: Small bowel infarction by Aspergillus.
abstract: Primary gut involvement by Aspergillus is a rare and often fatal complication of intensive antileukemic therapy. We describe the case of an adult patient affected by acute leukemia who developed a small bowel fungal thromboembolism without radiographic evidence of lung involvement during the post-induction aplastic phase. The diagnosis was made histologically at laparotomy performed for small bowel perforation. The patient died a week later in spite of amphotericin-B treatment and neutrophil recovery. Anti-Aspergillus prophylaxis and early introduction of amphotericin-B in the treatment of febrile neutropenia is probably advisable in all cases of AML.
authors.affiliation: Cattedre di Ematologia, Università Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Catalano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Picardi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Anzivino
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Insabato
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Notaro
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rotoli
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D001228:Aspergillosis / Q000150:complications*; D001230:Aspergillus; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D007238:Infarction / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D007416:Intestinal Perforation / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology*; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged