title: Mucormycosis of the head and neck.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mucormycosis of the head and neck is a rare disease increasingly occurring in immunocompromised patients. We report on two cases with different outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 63-year-old female presented with a recently developed deformation of her right cheek and nose combined with a loosening of the teeth. Further examination revealed mucormycosis of the maxilla. Hemimaxillectomy and secondary bony reconstruction with oral rehabilitation were performed. The second patient was a 54-year-old male who suffered from multiple myeloma. After receiving an allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant, he developed a necrotizing infection of the right midface. Histopathological investigation confirmed the diagnosis of mucormycosis. The patient died one day after radical surgical resection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These two cases demonstrate the variability of mucormycosis. Although slow progression of the disease is possible, a high level of attentiveness and expedient treatment are necessary due to the high risk of a devastating course.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Oral and Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, University Hospital Würzburg, Pleicherwall 2, 97070 Würzburg, Germany. metzen_d@klinik.uni-wuerzburg.de
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Metzen
authors.forename: Hartmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Böhm
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reuther
authors.forename: Alexander C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Kübler
authors.forename: Urs D A
authors.initials: UD
authors.lastname: Müller-Richter
mesh_terms: D003881:Dermatomycoses / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005148:Facial Dermatoses / Q000382:microbiology*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D016867:Immunocompromised Host; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008439:Maxillary Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009091:Mucormycosis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000601:surgery; D009300:Nasal Septum / Q000382:microbiology; D009668:Nose Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods