Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T18:36:33.880Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Rhinocerebral aspergillosis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2007

Mohan Kameswaran*
Affiliation:
Departments of Otolaryngology, King Saud UniversityCollege of Medicine and Asir Central Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulla Al-Wadei
Affiliation:
Departments of Otolaryngology, King Saud UniversityCollege of Medicine and Asir Central Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
Praful Khurana
Affiliation:
Departments of Pathology, King Saud University, College of Medicine and Asir Central Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
B. C. Okafor
Affiliation:
Departments of Otolaryngology, King Saud UniversityCollege of Medicine and Asir Central Hospital, Abha, Saudi Arabia.
*
Assistant Professor, College of Medicine, P.O. Box 641, King Saud University, Abha, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Aspergillosis is increasingly being recognised as a common fungal infection of the paranasal sinuses. Although the disease is almost endemic in neighbouring Sudan, there are few reported cases from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We report four cases of sinus aspergillosis with involvement of the skull bases and/or intracranial spread; a condition we have termed rhinocerebral aspergillosis. Invasive aspergillosis in our subgroup of patients occurs in otherwise healthy patients with normal immune status, quite unlike most reported cases in the western literature. The causative agent in all our patients was identified as aspergillus flavus, similar to patients reported from Sudan. This is again at variance with the case reports from other geographical locations, where aspergillus fumigatus is the commonest causative agent. Saudi Arabia would appear to represent a distinct geographical enclave, together with Sudan, where rhinocerebral aspergillosis of the sinuses and skull base may be more common than has previously been realised.

Type
Main Articles
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adams, N. F. (1933) Infections involving the ethmoid, maxillary and sphenoid sinuses and the orbit due to aspergillus fumigatus. Archives of Surgery, 26: 999CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arora, M. M. L., Iqbal, S. M. D., Rashid, A., Mehera, Y. N.Talwar, P. (1978) Aspergillosis of the paranasal sinuses and pharynx. Estratto da Minerva Oiorinolaringologica, 28, 123127.Google Scholar
Cheesman, A. D., Lund, V. J., Howard, D. J. (1986) Craniofacial resection for tumours of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses. Journal of Head and Neck Surgery, 8, 429439.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Clissold, S. P. (1987) Clinical experience in systemic and subcutaneous mycoses—in Ketoconazole Today: (Jones, H. E., ed.), ADIS Press Ltd., Manchester, p 73.Google Scholar
Dawlatly, E. E., Anim, J. T.Sowayan, S., El Hassan, A. Y. (1988) Primary paranasal aspergillus granuloma in Saudi Arabia. Tropical Geographical Medicine, 40, 247250.Google ScholarPubMed
Hartwick, R. W.. Batsakis, J. G. (1991) Pathology Consultation: sinus aspergillosis and allergic fungal sinusitis. Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology, 100, 427430.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jahrsdoerfer, R. A., Ejercito, V. S., Johns, M. M. E., Cantrell, R. W., Syndor, J. B. (1979) Aspergillosis of the nose and paranasal sinuses. American Journal of Otolaryngology, 1: 614.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Katzenstein, A. A., Sale, S. R., Greenberger, P. A. (1983) Allergic aspergillosis sinusitis: A newly recognized form of sinusitis. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 72, 8993.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mahgoub, El Sheikh. (1971) Mycological and serological studies on aspergillus flavus isolated from paranasal aspergilloma in Sudan. The Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 74, 162165.Google Scholar
Mahgoub, El Sheikh. (1977) Mycoses of the Sudan. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 71, 184187.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McGill, T. J., Simpson, G., Healy, G. B. (1980) Fulminant aspergillosis of the nose and paranasal sinuses: A new clinical entity. Laryngoscope, 90, 748754.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Milosev, B., Mahgoub, El Sheikh, Aal, A., Hassan, El A. M. (1969) Primary aspergilloma of the paranasal sinuses in the Sudan: A review of seventeen cases. British Journal of Surgery, 56, 132137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Quiney, R. E., Rogers, M. J. C.Davidson, R. N., Cheesman, A. D. (1988) Craniofacial resection for extensive paranasal sinus aspergilloma. Journal of Laryngology and Otology, 102, 11721175.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robb, P. J. (1986) Aspergillosis of the paranasal sinuses: A case report and histological perspective. Journal of Laryngology and Otologyy, 100, 10711077.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Romett, J. L., Newman, R. K. (1982) Aspergillosis of the nose and paranasal sinuses. Laryngoscope, 92: 764766.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stammberger, H., Jakse, R., Beaufort, F. (1984) Aspergillosis of the paranasal sinuses: X-ray diagnosis, histopathology and clinical aspects. Annals of Otology Rhinology and Laryngology, 93, 251256.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Waxman, J. E., Spector, J. G., Sale, S. R., Katzenstein, A. A. (1987) Allergic aspergillus sinusitis: concepts in treatment of a new clinical entity. Laryngoscope, 97, 261266.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zinemann, H. H. (1972) Sino-orbital aspergillosis: report of a case and review of the literature. Minnesota Medicine, 55, 661664.Google Scholar