Date: 26 November 2013
This patient with ABPA and chronic cavitary pulmonary aspergillosis has been stabilized on voriconazole treatment for >5 years. She had a degree of photosensitivity most of that time, noticed early in the course of voriconazole treatment. She is oxygen and wheelchair dependent and doesn’t go outside very much, so most of her light exposure has been indoor light. She developed rough scaly patches over her face, neck and lower arms. Dermatological review indicated multiple solar keratoses”. Skin biopsy from the right forearm confirmed this clinical diagnosis – “skin showing hyperkeratosis with a little parakeratosis and acanthosis. The keratinocytes have a glassy appearance but show nuclear atypia with dyskeratotic cells, and occasional suprabasal mitoses. The intraepidermal sweat ducts are spared. Appearances suggest an actinic keratosis with moderate to severe dysplasia.” These features are characteristic of a low grade premalignant change.
She was treated with local 5-fluorouracil cream (Efudix) (3 cycles) to the affected lesions. These photos were taken at the apogee of inflammation. The inflammation resolved after discontinuing the cream. This reaction is expected with application of this mild chemotherapy agent. Alternative or supplementary treatments include cryotherapy, curettage and cautery, if necessary. Following treatment her skin was much softer and considerably improved. Voriconazole has been stopped, and posaconazole substituted.
Copyright:
DW Denning and JE Ferguson, University Hospital of South Manchester. 22/07/08
Notes: n/a
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Pt FT. Autopsy appearance of the trachea, after the adherent pseudomembrane had been removed, revealing confluent ulceration superiorly with small green plaques of Aspergillus growth on the trachea inferiorly.
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This view was obtained in a lung transplant recipient at bronchoscopy. Aspergillus fumigatus was grown from bronchial lavage but invasion was not demonstrated on bronchial biopsy. Symptoms improved with itraconazole therapy and abnormal appearances had resolved within 2 weeks.
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Bronchoscopic view of Aspergillus tracheobronchitis. Bronchial lavage revealed hyphae in microscopy and cultures grew A.fumigatus. This man had received a lung transplant a few weeks before. Invasion of mucosa, but not cartilage, was demonstrated histologically. He responded rapidly to oral itraconazole.
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This view from indirect laryngoscopy illustrates bilateral lesions on the larynx that on biopsy were shown to be due to Aspergillus. This is a rare disease in non-immunocompromised patients.
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Bronchoscopic view of a deep bronchial ulcer in a lung transplant patient. Biopsies through the ulcer yielded cartilage with hyphae invading it. Fungal cultures of bronchial lavage grew Aspergillus fumigatus. He responded to oral itraconazole therapy.
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Patient had life threatening pneumonia, cavity formation was later observed. He later presented with a fungal ball. The aspergilloma was removed by surgical resection of the right upper lobe.
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