title: A unique MRI presentation of fungal infection in the brain.
abstract: Fungal infections of CNS are common in certain geographic locations. MRI with or without contrast is a useful prediagnostic tool. However, the findings may sometimes be misleading. In this case report, the authors present unusual imaging findings in the MRI of fungal infection in an immunocompetent host, whereby hyper-intense signals were seen on T2-weighted images and patchy post-contrast enhancement was observed with surrounding edema. These findings were suggestive of a neoplastic lesion but it was identified as aspergillosis on subsequent histopathology. This unusual MRI finding of CNS highlights the need to consider fungal infection as a differential diagnosis of all mass lesions on MRI, irrespective of their signal characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Good Samaritan Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Muhammad Bilal Salman
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi.
authors.forename: Saad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shafqat
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi.
authors.forename: Syed Ather
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Enam
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001228:Aspergillosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D001706:Biopsy; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004453:Echoencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed