Pulmonary Cryptococcosis Presenting Solitary Pulmonary Nodule in an Immunocompetence: A Case Report and Review of the Korean Literatures

ABSTRACT

In immunocompetent individuals, pulmonary cryptococcosis is a rarely diagnosed fungal infection. It's common radiological findings are multiple pulmonary nodules. We report a case of pulmonary cryptococcosis in a 67-year-old woman who presented with solitary pulmonary nodule (SPN) on chest computed tomography (CT). She complained of intermittent blood tinged sputum for 10 days. She was a non-smoker and had no clinical evidence of immonosuppression. Pathological examination of the lung tissue core via percutaneous fine needle biopsy revealed chronic granulomatous inflammation compatible with cryptococcosis on the special stain. She received 6 months of antifungal therapy with fluconazole and the SPN was disappeared on the CT after antifungal therapy. We also reviewed that the features of pulmonary cryptococcosis presenting SPN in immnocompetent patients reported in the Korean literatures.