Copyright
©2010 Baishideng. All rights reserved
World J Gastroenterol. Mar 7, 2010; 16(9): 1165-1170
Published online Mar 7, 2010. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i9.1165
Published online Mar 7, 2010. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i9.1165
Ileocolonic mucormycosis in adult immunocompromised patients: A surgeon’s perspective
Oswens Siu-Hung Lo, Wai-Lun Law, Division of Colorectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Hong Kong Medical Centre, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
Author contributions: Lo OSH drafted and wrote the paper; Law WL critically revised the paper with an important conceptual and editorial input.
Correspondence to: Wai-Lun Law, Professor, Division of Colorectal Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Hong Kong Medical Centre, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China. lawwl@hkucc.hku.hk
Telephone: +852-28554764 Fax: +852-28728425
Received: October 6, 2009
Revised: October 30, 2009
Accepted: November 7, 2009
Published online: March 7, 2010
Revised: October 30, 2009
Accepted: November 7, 2009
Published online: March 7, 2010
Abstract
We report three cases of ileocolic mucormycosis in adult immunocompromised patients presenting as acute abdomen. All patients underwent laparotomy but two of them died from multiorgan failure before the diagnoses were confirmed. The diagnosis of gastrointestinal mucormycosis is rarely suspected, and antemortem diagnosis is made in only 25%-50% of cases. These cases illustrate the difficulty encountered by surgeons in managing acute abdomen in neutropenic patients with hematological malignancy. The management of colonic mucormycosis in the published literature is also reviewed.
Keywords: Gastrointestinal mucormycosis, Colon, Immunocompromised, Surgery