Cerebral phaeohyphomycosis with onychomycosis: Case report and review of literature

Abstract

The term phaeohyphomycosis (PHM) means dark-pigmented fungal hyphae. Cerebral PHM (CPHM) with onychomycosis is extremely rare; very few have been reported so far. The authors report a case of CPHM with onychomycosis in a 37-year-old male from a rural background in Haryana, India, with involvement of the left frontal lobe. The mass was resected and biopsy was sent for histopathological examination. He was given antifungal drugs in the postoperative period. The patient responded very well to the treatment, and there were no signs of recurrence at the 6-month follow-up visit. The clinical features, imaging and histopathological investigations, and management of this rare entity are discussed, and the available literature is also reviewed.

Invasive cerebral phaeohyphomycosis in a Chinese boy with CARD9 deficiency and showing unique radiological features, managed with surgical excision and antifungal treatment

“…Numerous reviews report similar situations where radiological findings confound diagnosis irrespective of the fungal identity. MRS was not useful in differentiating malignant lesions from phaeohyphomycosis (Hauck, McGinnis et al 2008, Santosh, Mahadevan et al 2010, Jung and Kim 2014, Goel, Gupta et al 2019, Magaki, Minasian et al 2019. Fungal etiology was only identified in these cases later from histopathological and microbiological examination.…”