Date: 26 November 2013
This 63 year old smoker presented with a new small mass in the right upper lobe. She had had tuberculosis as a teenager (1958) which recurred in 1962, requiring 2 long stays in a sanatorium. Since then she was well, until a new shadow was noticed on her chest X-ray. A CT showed a smooth round nodule, and to rule out carcinoma it was biopsied percutaneously. Histology showed fungal hyphae, consistent with Aspergillus , and serology confirmed infection with Aspergillus fumigatus. Following biopsy, an air fluid pocket has appeared, most consistent with an aspergilloma, as the lesion is solitary.
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Bronchoscopic manifestations of Aspergillus tracheobronchitis. (a) Type I. Inflammatory infiltration, mucosa hyperaemia and plaques of pseudomembrane formation in the lumen without obvious airway occlusion. (b) Type II. Deep ulceration of the bronchial wall. (c) Type III. Significant airway occlusion by thick mucous plugs full of Aspergillus without definite deeper tissue invasion. (d) Type IV. Extensive tissue necrosis and pseudomembrane formation in the lumen with airway structures and severe airway occlusion (Wu 2010).
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High resolution CT showing centrilobular nodular opacities and branching linear opacities (tree-in-bud appearance) (Al-Alawi 2007).
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Chest X-ray showing poorly defined bilateral nodular opacities (Al-Alawi 2007).
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Gross pathologic specimen from autopsy shows the bronchial lumen covered by multiple whitish endobronchial nodules (arrows) (Franquet 2002).
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Invasive tracheobronchitis showing numerous nodules seen during bronchoscopy (Ronan D’Driscoll).
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Pseudomembranous seen overlying the bronchial mucosa (Tasci 2006).