Chen CH, Chen JN, Du HG, Guo DL. Isolated cerebral mucormycosis that looks like stroke and brain abscess: A case report and review of the literature. World J Clin Cases 2023; 11(7): 1560-1568 [PMID: 36926404 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i7.1560]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Jing-Nan Chen, MD, Doctor, Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 318 Chaowang Road, Gongshu District, Hangzhou 310005, Zhejiang Province, China. 1028713842@qq.com
Research Domain of This Article
Neurosciences
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Clin Cases. Mar 6, 2023; 11(7): 1560-1568 Published online Mar 6, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i7.1560
Isolated cerebral mucormycosis that looks like stroke and brain abscess: A case report and review of the literature
Cai-Hong Chen, Jing-Nan Chen, Hang-Gen Du, Dong-Liang Guo
Cai-Hong Chen, Dong-Liang Guo, Department of Neurology, Hangzhou Ninth People's Hospital, Hangzhou 311225, Zhejiang Province, China
Jing-Nan Chen, Hang-Gen Du, Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Hangzhou 310005, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Chen CH contributed to data collection and manuscript writing; Chen JN treated the patient and contributed to the conceptualization and supervision of the entire work; all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: All authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jing-Nan Chen, MD, Doctor, Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 318 Chaowang Road, Gongshu District, Hangzhou 310005, Zhejiang Province, China. 1028713842@qq.com
Received: November 25, 2022 Peer-review started: November 25, 2022 First decision: December 13, 2022 Revised: January 7, 2023 Accepted: February 10, 2023 Article in press: February 10, 2023 Published online: March 6, 2023
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Cerebral mucormycosis is an infectious disease of the brain caused by fungi of the order Mucorales. These infections are rarely encountered in clinical practice and are often misdiagnosed as cerebral infarction or brain abscess. Increased mortality due to cerebral mucormycosis is closely related to delayed diagnosis and treatment, both of which present unique challenges for clinicians.
CASE SUMMARY
Cerebral mucormycosis is generally secondary to sinus disease or other disseminated disease. However, in this retrospective study, we report and analyze a case of isolated cerebral mucormycosis.
CONCLUSION
The constellation of symptoms including headaches, fever, hemiplegia, and changes in mental status taken together with clinical findings of cerebral infarction and brain abscess should raise the possibility of a brain fungal infection. Early diagnosis and prompt initiation of antifungal therapy along with surgery can improve patient survival.
Core Tip: Cerebral mucormycosis is an infectious disease of the brain caused by fungi of the order Mucorales. These infections are rarely encountered in clinical practice and often misdiagnosed as cerebral infarction or brain abscess. Diagnosis and treatment are challenging, and as such this disease is often associated with a high mortality rate. Through this case study, we aim to help further understand the pathophysiology of cerebral mucormycosis and suggest strategies for the improvement of clinical diagnosis and treatment thereof.
