Pulmonary aspergilloma with subcutaneous fistula resulting in massive hemoptysis & subcutaneous emphysema

Anthony Bekasiak; Aya Shnawa; John Tedrow

doi:10.1016/j.rmcr.2019.100853

Pulmonary aspergilloma with subcutaneous fistula resulting in massive hemoptysis & subcutaneous emphysema

Respir Med Case Rep. 2019 May 14:27:100853. doi: 10.1016/j.rmcr.2019.100853. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Anthony Bekasiak¹, Aya Shnawa¹, John Tedrow¹

Affiliation

¹ St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, USA.

Abstract

Aspergillomas growing in pre-existing lung cavities can lead to presentations of hemoptysis. We present a case of a 73-year-old male with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and known 4 cm left cavitary lesion in the left upper lobe presenting with cough and hemoptysis, leading to the diagnosis of a pulmonary aspergilloma complicated by chest wall subcutaneous emphysema due to cavitary-subcutaneous fistula in the setting of excessive cough. This case sheds light on subcutaneous emphysema as a potential rare complication of aspergillomas in patients without prior trauma.

Publication types

Case Reports