Successful Treatment of Aspergillus Empyema Using Open Window Thoracostomy Salvage Treatment and the Local Administration of an Antifungal Agent.

Abstract

A 76-year-old woman received long-term immunosuppressive treatment for collagen vascular disease-associated interstitial pneumonia. The patient developed a cavitary mass lesion in the right lower lung field, and both nontuberculous mycobacteria and Aspergillus spp. were isolated after bronchial washing. The patient underwent a right lower lobectomy but developed Aspergillus empyema. Empyema due to Aspergillus spp. is a rare and life-threatening condition; however, the standard therapeutic strategies for treating Aspergillus empyema are not clear. We herein report a case of Aspergillus empyema that was successfully treated with a combination therapy which included open-window thoracostomy and the administration of antifungal agents (systemic micafungin and local amphotericin-B).

• Authors: Nobuyuki Ashizawa, Shigeki Nakamura, Shotaro Ide, Masato Tashiro, Takahiro Takazono, Yoshifumi Imamura, Taiga Miyazaki, Koichi Izumikawa, Yoshihiro Yamamoto, Katsunori Yanagihara, Yoshitsugu Miyazaki, Shigeru Kohno
• Journal: Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) (Intern Med) Vol. 55 Issue 15 Pg. 2093-9 ( 2016) ISSN: 1349-7235 [Electronic] Japan
• PMID: 27477422 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antifungal Agents

Topics

• Aged
• Antifungal Agents (therapeutic use)
• Empyema, Pleural (drug therapy, surgery)
• Female
• Humans
• Pulmonary Aspergillosis (drug therapy, surgery)
• Salvage Therapy
• Thoracotomy (methods)
• Treatment Outcome