Mucormycosis: experience with 10 patients

Rhinocerebral mucormycosis is a fulminating, devastating fungal disease, usually associated with debilitating diseases such as diabetes mellitus, leukaemia and immunosuppressive conditions. Ten patients with this rare disease have been treated over the past 14 years at the Beilinson Medical Centre. Nine patients had an underlying debilitating disease and one patient had latent diabetes mellitus which was diagnosed only after presentation of mucormycosis. Only two of the 10 patients survived. Early aggressive surgical debridement, together with amphotericin B and correction of underlying metabolic acidosis were found to be important factors associated with survival.