Sequential morphological changes in follow-up CT of pulmonary mucormycosis

We aimed to describe the computed tomography (CT) features of pulmonary mucormycosis including sequential changes between follow-ups.

Between June 2001 and May 2011, five patients (three males and two females; median age, 43 years; age range, 13-73 years) who had been pathologically diagnosed with pulmonary mucormycosis constituted our study population. Their clinical and CT features including sequential changes over follow-ups were evaluated retrospectively.

All patients were immunocompromised due to either hematologic diseases (n=3), diabetes mellitus (n=1), or steroid administration for autoimmune hepatitis (n=1). All patients had symptoms such as fever (n=5), tachycardia (n=1), or pleuritic chest pain (n=1) on admission. Regarding the clinical outcome after treatment, one patient died, and the remaining four recovered from the disease. In terms of initial CT features, the morphologies of pulmonary mucormycosis included a single mass (n=3), consolidation (n=1), or multiple masses (n=1). There were seven pulmonary lesions in total, 3-7 cm in size, which showed a CT halo sign (n=3), reversed-halo sign (n=2), or air-fluid levels (n=2). On follow-up CTs, the lesions of all patients contained necrosis. All three patients with a mass or masses with a CT halo sign on initial CT had a decreased surrounding halo followed by central necrosis, and the lesions gradually decreased in size on recovery.

Pulmonary mucormycosis usually manifests as a mass or masses with a halo or reversed-halo sign on the initial CT scan followed by a decreased extent of surrounding ground-glass opacities with the development of internal necrosis during follow-up.