Cavernous Sinus Thrombosis Caused by Aspergillus

ABSTRACT

Aspergillus is usually found in the human upper respiratory tract, or soil, and causes sinusitis for the immunocompromised or immunocompetent hosts. Sometimes it extends to the cavernous sinus, internal carotid artery or the orbit and results in severe complications. We diagnosed cavernous sinus thrombosis and sphenoid sinusitis by Aspergillus in a 58-year-old woman who visited our clinic for headache, left eyeball pain, and proptosis. We treated the patient with endoscopic ethmoidectomy, sphenoidectomy and antifungal therapy with Amphotericin B. During one year of follow-up, we found no evidence of recurrence. Cavernous sinus thrombosis by Aspergillus is a rare disease, and can be treated successfully without recurrence with early diagonosis and vigorous treatment.