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Esophageal aspergillosis after bone marrow transplant
1Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, St Mary's Hospital, Catholic University Medical College, Seoul, Korea.
Bone Marrow Transplantation
|February 1, 1997
Summary
Bone marrow transplant patients are susceptible to invasive fungal infections like Aspergillus. Isolated esophageal aspergillosis is rare but treatable with amphotericin B.
Area of Science:
- Medical Mycology
- Hematology
- Transplantation Immunology
Background:
- Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) recipients experience prolonged immune suppression, increasing susceptibility to opportunistic infections.
- Invasive fungal infections, particularly Aspergillus, pose a significant risk in immunocompromised BMT patients.
- Disseminated aspergillosis is common, affecting multiple organs, but isolated esophageal involvement is exceptionally rare.
Observation:
- A case of isolated esophageal aspergillosis was observed in a patient with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) post-BMT.
- This presentation is notable given the rarity of esophageal aspergillosis as an isolated finding.
Findings:
- The patient with acute myelogenous leukemia and isolated esophageal aspergillosis achieved successful treatment.
- Amphotericin B was the effective therapeutic agent used for the esophageal aspergillosis.
Implications:
- Highlights the importance of considering rare presentations of aspergillosis in immunocompromised patients.
- Suggests that isolated esophageal aspergillosis, though uncommon, is a treatable condition in BMT recipients.
- Underscores the efficacy of amphotericin B in managing invasive fungal infections of the esophagus.