| Clinical Characteristics of Pulmonary Aspergilloma. |
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Tae Kyung Kang, Chang Ho Kim, Jae Yong Park, Tae Hoon Jung, Jun Ho Lee, Seong Beom Han, Young Jun Jeon, Jeong Ho Sohn, Ki Beom Kim, Jin Hong Chung, Kwan Ho Lee, Hyun Woo Lee, Hyeon Soo Shin, Sang Chae Lee, Sam Kweon |
1Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Kyunpook National University, Taegu, Korea.
2Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Keimyung University, Taegu, Korea.
3Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Taegu, Korea.
4Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Catholic University of Taegu-Hgosung Taegu, Korea.
5Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, Dongguk University, Korea. |
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| Abstract |
BACKGROUND
Pulmonary aspergillomas usually arise from colonization and proliferation of Aspergillus in preexisting cavitary lung disease of any cause. About 15% of patients with tuberculous pulmonary cavities were found to have aspergilloma. We analyzed the clinical features and course of 91 patients with pulmonary aspergllloma. METHODS: During the ten-year period from June 1986 to May 1996, 91 patients whose condition was diagnosed as pulmonary aspergilloma at 4 university hospitals in Taegu city were reviewed. All patients fulfilled one of the following criteria: 1) histologic evidence of aspergilloma within abnormal air space in tissue sections, or 2) a positive Aspergillus serum precipitin test with the radiologic finding of a fungus ball. The histological diagnosis was established in 81 patients(89.0%) and clinical diagnosis in 10 patients(11.0%). RESULTS: 1) The age range was 22 to 65 years, with an average of 45 years. A male and female ratio was 1.7:1 (57men and 34 women). 2) Hemoptysis was far the most frequent symptom(89%), followed by cough, dyspnea, weakness, weight loss, fever, chest pain. 3) In all but 14 cases(15.4%) there had been associated conditions. Pulmonary tuberculosis was far the most frequent underlying condition found(74.7%), followed by bronchiectasis(6.6%), cavitary neoplasm(2.2%), pulmonary sequestration(1.1%). 4) The involved area was usually in the upper lobes ; the right upper lobe was involved in 39(42.9%), the left upper lobe in 31(34.1%), the left lower lobe in 13(14.3%), the right lower lobe in 7(7.7%), and the right middle lobe in 1(1.1%). 5) On standard chest roent geno gram the classic "bell-like" image of a fungus ball was found in 62.6% of the subjects. On CT scan, 88.1% of the subjects in which they were done. 6) The surgical therapy was undertaken in 76 patients, and medical therapy in 15 patients, including 4 patients with intracavitary instillation of amphotericin B. 7) The surgical modality was lobectomy in 55 patients(72.4%), segmentectomy in 16 patients(21.1%), pneumonectomy in 4 patients(5.3%), wedge resection in 1 patient(1.3%). The mortality rate was 3.9% (3 patients) ; 2 patients died of sepsis and 1 died of hemoptysis. The postoperative complications were encountered in 6 patients(7.9%), including each one patient with respiratory failure, bleeding, bronchopleural fistula, empyema, and vocal cord paralysis. 8) In the follow-up cases, each 2 patients of 71 patients with surgical treatment and 10 patients with medical treatment had recurrent hemoptysis. CONCLUISON: During follow-up of the chronic pulmonary disease with abnormal air space, if the standard chest roentgenograms are insufficient to detect a fungus ball, computed tomographic scan and serum precipitin test are likely to aid the diagnosis of patients with suspected pulmonary aspergilloma. A reasonable recommendation for management of a patient with aspergilloma would be to reserve surgical resection for those patients who have had severe, recurrent hemoptysis. And a well controlled cooperative study to the medical treatment such as intracavitary antifungal therapy is further needed. |
| Key Words:
Pulmonary Aspergilloma |
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