[A study on clinical findings and surgical treatment of pulmonary mycosis]

Between 1974 and 1987, 14 patients (10 male and 4 female) underwent thoracotomy for treatment of pulmonary mycosis. They were studied on their clinical findings and surgical treatment. The median age was 48 years (range 19 to 71 years). Fourteen cases consisted of 9 aspergillosis and 5 cryptococcosis. None of them was either debilitated or immunosuppressed before falling ill. Five of the 14 patients had other pulmonary disease and 11 had symptoms; i.e. hemoptysis or bloody sputum in 4 cases, chest pain in 3, fever in 3, cough and sputum in 2. Nine aspergillosis consisted of 4 aspergilloma, 3 aspergillus pneumonia and 2 aspergillus empyema. Three cases of aspergillosis occurred in preexisting cavity. Five cryptococcosis consisted of 3 pseudotumorous, 1 disseminated small nodular, and 1 infiltrative types. Preoperative diagnosis was as follows; pulmonary mycosis 5, pulmonary tuberculosis 4, lung cancer 3, empyema 1 and hydropneumothorax 1. Four patients underwent partial resection, 8 lobectomy, 1 pneumonectomy, 1 muscle prombage and thoracoplasty. The prognosis is satisfactory. All patients are alive and has no recurrence. On histopathological examination, in aspergilloma cases, invasion of aspergillus to surrounding lung tissue was not seen. In addition to well-known fact that blood-borne dissemination hardly occurred in aspergilloma in contrast to cryptococcosis. These findings suggest that aspergilloma and solitary lesion of cryptococcosis should be resected, and adjuvant chemotherapy should be accompanied for cryptococcosis.