Pathological fractures in mycetoma.

Pathological fractures in mycetoma are a rarity and only 1 patient was reported in the literature. We report an unexpectedly high incidence of pathological fractures in mycetoma seen at the Mycetoma Research Centre, Khartoum, Sudan over a 10-year period. Plain radiographs of 517 patients with confirmed mycetoma in various body sites were reviewed and correlated with the clinical presentation of the patients. Pathological fractures were detected in 12 patients (2.3%). The explanation of this high incidence is unclear. Pain-reducing agents produced by mycetoma may be the reason that these fractures were overlooked clinically.

Ultrasonographic imaging of mycetoma.

INTRODUCTION: The ultrasonographic appearance of mycetoma is described in this prospective study. METHODS: One hundred patients with foot swellings had sonographic evaluation of the swelling and surgical excision within 2 weeks of ultrasonography. The histopathological findings were compared with the preoperative images. Some of the excised swellings and grains were also imaged and compared with the in vivo findings. RESULTS: The mycetoma grains, their capsules and the accompanying inflammatory granulomas have characteristic ultrasonographic appearances. In eumycetoma lesions, the grains produce numerous, sharp hyper-reflective echoes and there are single or multiple thick-walled cavities with no acoustic enhancement. In actinomycetoma, the findings are similar but the hyper-reflective echoes are fine, closely aggregated and commonly settle at the bottom of the cavities. None of the non-mycetoma foot swellings (which included lipoma, ganglion, foreign body granuloma and others) studied had these features. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography is simple, non-invasive, quick, reproducible and acceptable to patients. Mycetoma has characteristic ultrasonographic features. Furthermore, ultrasonography delineates the extent of mycetoma more accurately than clinical examination alone.

Internal fistula formation: an unusual complication of mycetoma.

This paper reports 2 hitherto undescribed complications of mycetoma, urinary extravasation and expectoration of mycetoma grains due to cutaneo-urethral and cutaneo-pleuro-bronchial fistulae, respectively. The first patient had an infection with Actinomadura madurae which started in the foot and had spread progressively to involve the whole limb, anterior abdominal wall, perineum and urethra. The second patient had Madurella mycetomatis infection of the hand and, in spite of extensive treatment, the infection had spread to the axilla, chest wall, lung and bronchial tree. Both patients died of the sequelae of these complications. The pathogenesis of these unusual complications is discussed.