Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis: report of 4 cases from Saudi Arabia

Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis is a newly recognized clinical entity of chronic rhinosinusitis. Over the past 3 years, 4 such patients were treated in our hospital. The clinical and pathological features of these 4 cases which merited the criteria for such diagnosis, are described. All the 4 cases had history of nasal polyps, asthma, or both with radiographical evidence of pansinusitis. Histologically, the thick greenish-brown inspissated material specimens which were collected and submitted to the laboratory showed, eosinophils, Charcot-Leyden crystals but no fungal elements were detected on routine hematoxylin and eosin sections and no tissue invasion was noted. However, scanty aspergillus hyphae were detected on sections stained with silver. All 4 cases grew Aspergillus flavus only from the swabs and no other fungi were seen and all were treated by surgical debridement, aeration, oral itraconazole with no steroids.