Diagnostic Utility of Polymerase Chain Reaction for Paraffin-embedded Sinus Specimens for Rhinocerebral Mucormycosis Complicated by Internal Carotid Artery Thrombosis and Cerebral Infarction

We herein report a 73-year-old man who experienced cerebral infarction caused by infection with a Mucromycocetes species. A delay in anti-fungal treatment might result in a lethal clinical outcome. We were unable to establish an accurate diagnosis based on histological findings and cerebrospinal flu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Internal Medicine 2021/08/15, Vol.60(16), pp.2683-2686
Main Authors: Maeda, Yukiko, Toda, Kunio, Toi, Sono, Yano, Tetsundo, Iijima, Mutsumi, Shimizu, Yuko, Nagashima, Yoji, Itakura, Yasutomo, Iguchi, Shigekazu, Kikuchi, Ken, Shibuya, Kazutoshi, Nonaka, Manabu, Kitagawa, Kazuo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Carotid artery
Case Report
Cerebral infarction
cerebral ischemia
Cerebrospinal fluid
Diagnosis
Etiology
formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens
Internal medicine
Mucormycosis
Paraffin
PCR
Polymerase chain reaction
sinusitis
Thrombosis
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Summary:We herein report a 73-year-old man who experienced cerebral infarction caused by infection with a Mucromycocetes species. A delay in anti-fungal treatment might result in a lethal clinical outcome. We were unable to establish an accurate diagnosis based on histological findings and cerebrospinal fluid culture. Therefore, we performed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using paraffin-embedded specimens, and based on the findings, successfully started administering anti-fungal treatment. We suggest that PCR using sinus specimens be applied when mucormycosis is suspected as an etiology of cerebral infarction and a confirmative diagnosis cannot be established based on the results of pathological examinations or cerebrospinal fluid culture.
ISSN:0918-2918
1349-7235
DOI:10.2169/internalmedicine.6809-20