Background: Invasive fungal infections are an increasing problem in immunosuppressed patients. In patients with the central nervous system involvement, there is a high case fatality rate. There is a very limited experience with infections caused by Hormographiella aspergillata (HA) in such cases and most often diagnosis is only confirmed postmortem.
Case description: We report the case of a 53-year-old woman with acute myeloid leukemia. After primary therapy with daunorubicin, cytarabine, and gemtuzumab ozogamicin, the patient developed pneumonia and later neurological symptoms caused by multiple gadolinium-enhancing brain lesions in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Stereotactic biopsy of a frontal precentral lesion was performed and revealed HA infection. The patient died in the further course secondary to cardiopulmonary problems.
Conclusion: Stereotactic biopsy is a safe way to establish the diagnosis of unclear lesions such as HA infection. We recommend to perform stereotactic biopsy early in immunocompromised patients with brain lesions to guide further treatment.
Keywords: Cerebral fungal infection; Coprinopsis cinerea; Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; Hormographiella aspergillata; Invasive fungal infection; Stereotactic biopsy.
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