Pulmonary aspergilloma (mycetoma)

Causes and Risks:
Aspergilloma is caused by when the fungus (aspergillus) grows in a clump in pre-existing pulmonary (lung) cavities or when the organism invades the lung tissue causing an abscess .

Aspergillus is found commonly in the environment. It grows on dead leaves, stored grain, bird droppoings, compost piles, or other decaying vegetation. The preexisting cavities may have been caused by a previous infection of histoplasmosis , tuberculosis , sarcoidosis , lung abscess , cystic fibrosis , or previous lung cancer . The disorder first may be detected by routine chest X-ray , or by coughing bloody sputum . The incidence is 1 out of 1 million people. See also aspergillosis .

Prevention:
People who have had related lung infections should avoid environments where the aspergillus fungus is found.

Symptoms:



Signs and Tests:



Treatment:
The most effective therapy is a surgical resection (cutting out the fungus growth). If life-threatening bleeding occurs, emergency surgery may be the only choice of treatment.

Prognosis:
The outcome is usually good, if resection of the abnormal lung is feasible.

Complications:



Call Your Healthcare Provider:
Call your health care provider if coughing up blood , and mention any other symptoms that have developed.


This is an illustration of the major features of the lungs and bronchial tree. The inset is of the alveoli. They are the microscopic blood vessel-lined sacks in which oxygen and carbon dioxide gas are exchanged.



This X-ray shows a single lesion (pulmonary nodule) in the upper right lung (seen as a light area on the left side of the picture). The nodule has distinct borders (well-defined) and is uniform in density. Tuberculosis (TB) and other diseases can cause this type of lesion.



This CT scan shows a single lesion (pulmonary nodule) in the left lung. This nodule is seen as the light circle in the upper portion of the dark area on the left side of the picture. A normal lung would look completely black in a CT scan.



Aspergillosis is a fungal infection. The fungus invades and destroys tissue. This type of infection usually occurs in immunocompromised individuals. Here, a chest X-ray shows that the fungus has invaded the lung tissue (the lungs are usually seen as black areas on an X-ray; the cloudiness on the left side of this X-ray is caused by the fungus).