Two cases of cerebral aspergillosis with intracerebral hemorrhage

Two patients who had cerebral aspergillosis with massive intracerebral hemorrhage were presented. Case I was a 59-year-old woman who had slight mental retardation. There was swelling in the left forehead, from which mucosal cysts of frontal sinus had been removed 2 years before her admission. She had a diagnosis of subdural abscess and radical operation was performed. Aspergillus was found in the abscess histologically. Three months after the operation, CT scan revealed multiple abscess in bilateral frontal lobe. When she lost consciousness suddenly 4 months after the operation, CT scan showed a huge intracerebral hematoma. Case 2 was a 16-year-old girl who suffered from immunological dysfunction caused by more than 6 months antibiotics-steroid treatment for pneumonitis. She lost her consciousness after complaints of severe headache. CT scan showed a heterogeneous high density area with severe brain edema in the left temporal lobe. The removal of hematoma was performed immediately. The level of her consciousness improved, but she died of the complication of DIC and renal failure 14 days after the hemorrhage. Autopsy revealed a number of aspergillomas in lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, liver and pancreas. Marked necrosis and a number of aspergillus hyphae which invaded and penetrated the wall of cerebral vessels were found in the brain tissue. It was presumed that such a huge intracerebral hematoma was caused by direct invasion and penetration into the brain of aspergillus from the blood vessels. The diagnosis of cerebral aspergillosis is made mainly by the pathological examination of the tissue obtained at surgery or autopsy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)