J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2004;128:621-622
© 2004 The American Association for Thoracic Surgery
Surgical management of bilateral multiple invasive pulmonary aspergillosis
Karin M. Dunst, MDa,*,
Ludwig C. Mueller, MDa
a Department of Cardiac Surgery, Leopold-Franzens University Innsbruck, Austria
Received for publication January 6, 2004; revisions received January 31, 2004; accepted for publication February 4, 2004.
* Address for reprints: Karin M. Dunst, MD, Department of Cardiac Surgery, University Hospital Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Karin.dunst@uibk.ac.at
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Dr Dunst
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There are 3 clinical types of pulmonary aspergillosis. The allergic and saprophytic forms can be encountered in immunocompetent patients, whereas invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is a life-threatening opportunistic infectious complication that develops in the immunocompromised host as a consequence of impaired defense function.1 IPA represents a major source of morbidity and mortality in the neutropenic patient. The clinical symptoms are sometimes masked, especially in the setting of a malignant neoplastic disorder; however, as a rule, there is productive cough and hemoptysis up to life-threatening bleeding. Standard therapy consists of amphotericin B, itraconazole, or both2; however, new antifungal agents, such as voriconazole3 or caspofungin,4 . . . [Full Text of this Article]
Copyright © 2004 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery.