Fatal hemorrhage from rupture of the intracranial internal carotid artery caused by aspergillus arteritis

Invasive sphenoid sinus aspergillosis mimicking sellar tumor: a report of 4 cases and systematic literature review

Background

Invasive sphenoid sinus aspergillosis is a rare but life-threatening condition usually found in immunocompromised patients. When involving cavernous sinus and surrounding structures, patients are frequently misdiagnosed with a neoplasm or sellar abscess. Timely diagnosis and intervention are crucial to patients’ outcomes. The objective of this study is to review cases of invasive sphenoid sinus aspergillosis to describe disease manifestations, imaging features, treatment, and outcome.

Case presentation

We describe four patients with invasive sphenoid sinus aspergillosis misdiagnosed as sellar tumors preoperatively. The mass was completely removed in three patients and partially removed in one patient microscopically. Pathological examinations confirmed Aspergillus in all cases. All four patients received anti-fungal agents postoperatively. There was no recurrence at the time of each patient’s follow-up date. One patient with complete resection was lost to follow-up while the other three patients’ neurologic function improved. Additionally, we performed a systematic review regarding invasive sphenoid sinus aspergillosis of existing English literature.

Conclusion

With regard to clinical symptoms, headache, vision impairment, and ophthalmoplegia were observed in over half of the patients in the literature. A sellar mass with bone destruction on CT and involvement of cavernous sinus is highly suggestive of invasive fungal sphenoid sinusitis. Immediate surgical removal of the lesion is recommended for invasive sphenoid sinus aspergillosis to preserve nerve function and increase the likelihood of survival.

Intracranial invasive aspergillosis originating in the sphenoid sinus: a successful treatment with high-dose itraconazole in three cases

We report three cases of intracranial aspergillosis originating in the sphenoid sinus in immunocompetent patients. The patients presented with an orbital apex syndrome in that a unilateral loss of vision and cranial nerve III palsy were seen in all cases and a contralateral involvement was also seen in one case. Despite the initial treatment with a conventional dose of itraconazole (ITCZ, 200 mg/day), the neurological deficits failed to improve and the granulomatous inflammation was not suppressed. Therefore, we treated with a combination of a high dose of ITCZ at 500-1000 mg/day (16-24 mg/kg/day) and amphotericin B (AMPH-B) at 0.5 mg/kg/day, in conjunction with a pulse dose of methylprednisolone at 1000 mg/day. Two cases responded favorably in that the ocular movements completely recovered, and their maximum serum concentrations of the hydroxy ITCZ were 7816 ng/ml and 5370 ng/ml. However, the other case worsened, despite ITCZ treatment at 16 mg/kg/day, and the serum concentration of the hydroxy ITCZ was 3863 ng/ml. The surgical decompression of the cavernous sinus via an extradural approach was performed, and the dose of ITCZ was increased to 24 mg/kg/day. The resulting serum concentration of the hydroxy ITCZ was 4753 ng/ml, and the outcome of this case has been favorable. These results suggest that a high blood level of the hydroxy ITCZ (more than 4500 ng/ml) is a prerequisite for the successful treatment of intracranial aspergillosis and that the combination treatment of ITCZ with AMPH-B would be preferred. The concomitant use of steroid and/or surgical decompression should be considered, if the invasiveness is not well-controlled in spite of intensive medical therapy.

Lethal subarachnoid bleeding under immunosuppressive therapy due to mycotic arteritis

A subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) occurred 67 days after cardiac transplantation in a 10-year-old girl with consecutive immunocompromising therapy. Neither digital subtraction angiography (DSA) nor computed tomographic angiography showed signs of intracranial vascular malformations. One month before the lethal SAH occurred, she had developed arterial hypertension and attacks of severe headache with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis while CT scans showed an infarct of the left thalamus. Pathologic findings established the rare diagnosis of SAH due to aspergillosis-related mycotic arteritis. Imaging characteristics are presented.

Fatal subarachnoid hemorrhage, with brainstem and cerebellar infarction, caused by Aspergillus infection after cerebral aneurysm surgery: case report

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE

Intracranial aspergillosis has been reported to cause subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) attributable to ruptured mycotic aneurysms. We describe a case of Aspergillus arteritis that caused SAH without aneurysm formation, followed by successive brainstem and cerebellar infarction.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION

A 50-year-old woman experienced a sudden onset of headache. Computed tomography demonstrated SAH. After angiography revealed an aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery, a complete neck-clipping operation was performed, without neurological deterioration. However, the patient experienced another episode of SAH on the 26th postoperative day.

INTERVENTION

We repeated the craniotomy and confirmed that the clip was still intact. A second angiographic evaluation did not reveal an aneurysm or any other cause of hemorrhage. On the 30th postoperative day, magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated cerebellar infarction in the territory of the anteroinferior cerebellar artery. The patient died on the 40th postoperative day, after another episode of SAH and progressive cerebellar and brainstem infarction. The postmortem examination revealed destruction of the basilar artery and occlusion of the basilar and vertebral arteries attributable to Aspergillus arteritis.

CONCLUSION

When a patient presents with SAH of unknown origin followed by cerebral infarction, Aspergillus arteritis should be included in the differential diagnosis. Earlier recognition of this fungal infection improves the prognosis.

Massive epistaxis after rupture of intracavernous carotid artery aneurysm. Case report

We present a case of massive epistaxis caused by an internal carotid artery aneurysm. The initial treatment with endovascular balloon embolization failed as a result of balloon displacement. After rebleeding, the intracavernous aneurysm was treated with an endovascular detachable balloon embolization technique, which resulted in cessation of epistaxis. The different treatment options for interventional radiology and management of ruptured carotid artery aneurysms are discussed.

Leucocyte transfusions from rhG-CSF or prednisolone stimulated donors for treatment of severe infections in immunocompromised neutropenic patients

Sepsis in profound neutropenia after chemotherapy is associated with high mortality despite appropriate antibacterial or antifungal treatment. In a prospective phase I/II study we evaluated the feasability and efficacy of leucocyte transfusions (LT) in patients with malignancies or haematological disorders who were suffering from severe bacterial or fungal infection during therapy-related bone marrow aplasia. 30 patients with severe neutropenia and clinical signs of life-threatening sepsis not responding to adequate treatment, received LT from rhG-CSF-stimulated family donors or from prednisolone-primed volunteers. A total of 301 LT were administered. The median number of LT per patient was seven (range three to 65), the median duration of LT treatment was 8 d (range 2-35). The white cell count (WBC), absolute neutrophil count (ANC) and lymphocyte count of the concentrates from rhG-CSF-stimulated donors were significantly higher than those from prednisolone-primed volunteers (P = 0.0001). Despite the critical condition of the patients, LT were generally well tolerated. Only 39 (12.9%) LT were associated with adverse reactions. The transfusion of leucocytes collected by continuous flow leukapheresis from both rhG-CSF and prednisolone stimulated donors resulted in a measurable increment of the peripheral leucocyte and ANC counts in our patients. On day 100 after the first LT, 20/30 patients were alive with complete clearance of the infection.