Treatment of primary nasal tuberculosis with anti-tumor necrosis factor immunotherapy:A case report

BACKGROUND Primary nasal tuberculosis(TB)is a rare form of extrapulmonary TB,particularly in patients receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor(TNF)immunotherapy.As a result,its diagnosis remains challenging.CASE SUMMARY A 58-year-old male patient presented to the ear,nose,and throat department with right-sided nasal obstruction and bloody discharge for 1 month.He was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and received anti-TNF immunotherapy for 3 years prior to presentation.Biopsy findings revealed chronic granulomatous inammation and a few acid-fast bacilli,suggestive of primary nasal TB.He was referred to our TB management department for treatment with oral anti-TB agents.After 9 months,the nasal lesions had disappeared.No recurrence was noted during follow-up.CONCLUSION The diagnosis of primary nasal TB should be considered in patients receiving TNF antagonists who exhibit thickening and crusting of the nasal septum mucosa or inferior turbinate,particularly when pathological findings suggest granulomatous inflammation.

Successful treatment of invasive fungal rhinosinusitis caused by Cunninghamella: A case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND Invasive fungal rhinosinusitis(IFR) caused by Cunninghamella is very rare but has an extremely high fatality rate. There have been only seven cases of IFR caused by Cunninghamella reported in English and, of these, only three patients survived.In this article, we present another case of IFR caused by Cunninghamella, in which the patient was initially treated successfully but then deteriorated due to a relapse of leukemia 2 mo later.CASE SUMMARY A 50-year-old woman presented with a 2-mo history of right ocular proptosis,blurred vision, rhinorrhea and nasal obstruction. Nasal endoscopic examination showed that the middle turbinate had become necrotic and fragile. Endoscopic sinus surgery and enucleation of the right orbital contents were performed successively. Additionally, the patient was treated with amphotericin B both systematically and topically. Secretion cultivation of the right eye canthus showed infection with Cunninghamella, while postoperative pathology also revealed fungal infection. The patient's condition gradually stabilized after surgery. However, the patient underwent chemotherapy again due to a relapse of leukemia 2 mo later. Unfortunately, her leukocyte count decreased dramatically,leading to a fatal lung infection and hemoptysis.CONCLUSION Aggressive surgical debridements, followed by antifungal drug treatment both systematically and topically, are the most important fundamental treatments for IFR.

Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis accompanied by allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis: A case report and literature review

BACKGROUND Concomitant allergic fungal rhinosinusitis(AFRS)and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis(ABPA)are extremely rare,with no more than 20 cases reported in the English literature.CASE SUMMARY A 52-year-old female patient complained of right-sided nasal obstruction,rhinorrhea,sneezing,epistaxis,and hyposmia for a period of around 5 mo.Nasal examination detected paleness and edema of the nasal mucous membrane and a polyp in the right middle meatus.A computed tomography(CT)scan of the sinuses revealed a ground-glass opacity filling the right maxillary and ethmoid sinuses,along with bone absorption in the medial wall of the right maxillary sinus.Magnetic resonance images were obtained with T1-weighted,T2-weighted,and gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted sequences.A well-defined mass,located in the right maxillary and ethmoid sinuses and displaying obvious hypointense features,was observed on both T1-and T2-weighted images,with peripheral enhancement on gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted images.The patient also has a 20-year history of cough and dyspnea.Chest CT revealed columned and cystiform bronchiectasis in the bilateral bronchus,surrounded by a large number of spotted and funicular high-density lesions.The level of serum total IgE was>5000 kU/L.Serum IgE levels related to house dust and aspergillus showed a positive result,with the values being 3.5 kU/L and 1.2 kU/L.We performed functional endoscopic sinus surgery under local anesthesia.After surgery,topical glucocorticoids and saline irrigation were applied in the nasal cavity until the present time.An oral glucocorticoid(methylprednisolone 16 mg/d)and antifungal agent(itraconazole 200 mg/d)were also used for a period of 4 wk.Montelukast was prescribed at 10 mg/d until the present time.An endoscopic examination showed that the patient was recovering well at 3 mo after surgery.CONCLUSION Since different specialists treat ABPA and AFRS,their coexistence may be overlooked.AFRS accompanied by ABPA requires surgical therapy combined with medical control to improve the symptoms.