Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon around blastomyces in cytologic preparation

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Medical Mycology
• Histopathology

Background:

• Pulmonary blastomycosis is a fungal infection affecting the lungs.
• The Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon is a distinctive tissue reaction pattern.
• Diagnosis often relies on histopathological examination of tissue samples.

Observation:

• The Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon was identified in bronchial washings.
• The same phenomenon was observed in a transbronchial lung biopsy specimen.
• The patient presented with pulmonary blastomycosis.

Findings:

• This study reports the first observation of the Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon in a bronchial cytologic preparation.
• The findings confirm the presence of this phenomenon in direct respiratory tract samples.
• Histopathological analysis revealed characteristic eosinophilic inclusions surrounded by a."radiating" pattern.

Implications:

• This observation expands the diagnostic utility of bronchial cytology in identifying specific fungal infections.
• It suggests that the Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon can be detected in non-invasive respiratory samples.
• Further research may explore the sensitivity and specificity of detecting this phenomenon in cytology for diagnosing pulmonary mycoses.