Lung resection from wedge to pneumonectomy as surgical options for pulmonary mucormycosis.

Abstract

Pulmonary mucormycosis (PM) is a rare and life-threatening condition, most prevalent in immunocompromised patients. Early signs and symptoms are often nonspecific. A high index of suspicion in at risk patients should prompt early infectious work-up, including bronchoscopy, followed by aggressive antifungal therapy and early surgical resection when indicated. We demonstrate these core tenants of diagnosis and management of PM via two patient presentations, the first involving a kidney transplant recipient who presented with a mild cough, found to have a lung lesion with rapid growth over a few weeks; the second involving a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who presented with hemoptysis and imaging revealing a 5 cm perihilar mass obliterating the left pulmonary artery. Both patients were managed with aggressive surgical therapy.