Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis after living donor liver transplantation should be eradicated or not? A case report.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is a rare complication with a high mortality rate after organ transplantation. Early antifungal therapy improves survival. In some cases, surgical resection is necessary for a complete remission. We have reported herein a case of sustained (but stationary) IPA cured by the modulation of immunosuppression with discontinuation of antifungal therapy.

CASE:

A 34-year-old man underwent liver transplantation experiencing are early bile leak and an acute rejection episode. Steroid pulse therapy was accompanied by intensified immunosuppression. After a week he developed intermittent hemoptysis, which was treated with antibiotics due to a diagnosis of pneumonia by chest X ray. Meanwhile the bile leak progressed to a huge biloma at reoperation 3 weeks after the initial operation he was converted from a choledochocholedochostomy to a hepaticojejunostomy. After 1 week, follow-up chest X ray showed the lesion had progressed to form an abscess. Subsequent chest computed tomography (CT) detected a pulmonary mass with internal necrosis and CT-guided lung biopsy revealed Aspergillus fumigatus on isolation. Antifungal therapy with voriconazole and/or amphotericin B for 3 months stopped disease progression but the lesion was sustained. We stopped antifungal therapy due to side effects and reduced the intensity of immunosuppression. Follow-up chest CT 5 months later showed improvement with a persistent cavitary lesion containing a fungal ball. However, after 9 months, there was no focal lesion in either lung. This unusual case of IPA was cured by reducing immunosuppression without antifungal therapy.

CONCLUSION:

IPA should be eradicated with prompt antifugal therapy, but stationary IPA can be observed cautiously while reducing immunosuppression.

• Authors: J W Park, J H Kim, W B Kim, H J Han, S B Choi, J E Yeon, K S Byun, S Y Choi
• Journal: Transplantation proceedings (Transplant Proc) 2011 Jul-Aug Vol. 43 Issue 6 Pg. 2428-30 ISSN: 1873-2623 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 21839284 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Antifungal Agents
• Immunosuppressive Agents
• Steroids
• Mycophenolic Acid
• Tacrolimus

Topics

• Adult
• Antifungal Agents (adverse effects, therapeutic use)
• Drug Therapy, Combination
• Humans
• Immunosuppressive Agents (administration & dosage)
• Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis (diagnostic imaging, drug therapy, microbiology)
• Liver Transplantation (adverse effects)
• Living Donors
• Male
• Mycophenolic Acid (administration & dosage, analogs & derivatives)
• Steroids (administration & dosage)
• Tacrolimus (administration & dosage)
• Time Factors
• Tomography, X-Ray Computed
• Treatment Outcome