Chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis complicated by pneumothorax.
A 61-year-old man presented with left-sided pneumothorax. On the chest computed tomograghy (CT), severe bilateral emphysema and left-sided pleural thickening were seen. His pneumothorax was drained with a chest tube. Because of a persistent air leakage, video-thoracoscopic wedge-resection of the suspected fistula and muscle-sparing minithoracotomy with extensive wedge resections of the left upper lobe were performed. Biopsy specimens showed micronodular mycetomas with septate hyphae highly suggestive of Aspergillus. The fungus destructed the lung tissue without vessel invasion. The patient had not been taking immunosuppressant drugs and had no prior opportunistic infections. Itraconazole was begun, the lung was expanded and the patient recovered. We propose that extensive resection of affected lung tissue in combination with long-term antifungal therapy with itraconazole is a valuable therapeutic option in patients with a complicated course of chronic necrotizing pulmonary aspergillosis (CNPA).
Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Dept. of Internal Medicine, Kantonsspital, CH-8596 Münsterlingen, Switzerland. robert.thurnheer@stgag.ch
R
R
Thurnheer
C
C
Moll
M
M
Röthlin
M
M
Krause
D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001229:Aspergillosis, Allergic Bronchopulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D017964:Itraconazole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009336:Necrosis; D011030:Pneumothorax / Q000628:therapy; D020775:Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000935:Antifungal Agents; D017964:Itraconazole