title: Cerebral aspergillosis presenting as a mass lesion.
abstract: Fungal infections of the central nervous system (CNS) are almost always a surprising finding. Their presentation is usually subtle, often without any diagnostic characteristics, and they are frequently mistaken for pyogenic abscesses, or brain tumors. Aspergillosis of the central nervous system is an uncommon infection, mainly occurring in immunocompromised patients. It may present in several forms, including meningitis, mycotic aneurysms, infarcts and a tumoral form. We report an intracranial granuloma due to Aspergillus fumigatus involving the anterior cranial fossa and the frontal lobe. The clinical symptoms began one year before admission. Final diagnosis was made after craniotomy. The patient was treated with an extensive excision of the cerebral mass and medical antifungal therapy (intravenous amphotericin B), but she failed to respond to these treatments and died.
authors.affiliation: Transplant Research Center, Department of Pathology, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. negarazarpira@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Negar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Azarpira
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esfandiari
authors.forename: Mohamad Hadi
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Bagheri
authors.forename: Sed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rakei
authors.forename: Soheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salari
mesh_terms: D000666:Amphotericin B / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001232:Aspergillus fumigatus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000628:therapy; D003399:Craniotomy; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D020953:Neuroaspergillosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D000666:Amphotericin B