ABSTRACT
Central nervous system (CNS) infections due to filamentous basidiomycetes are extremely rare. We encountered a case of epidural abscess due to Schizophyllum commune that extended from sinusitis. A 53-year-old Japanese man presented at our hospital with a headache. Computed tomography (CT) of the cranium and sinuses showed ethmoid and sphenoid sinusitis with no intracranial abnormalities. The patient was diagnosed with acute sinusitis and underwent antibiotic treatment. However, the symptoms deteriorated, and the patient came to our hospital again with consciousness disturbance. CT scan of the cranium and sinuses showed no improvement of sinusitis after antibiotic therapy and an epidural abscess emerged in the middle cranial fossa. Therefore, emergency craniotomy and endoscopic sinus fenestration were performed. Filamentous fungal elements were observed in both rhinorrhoea and epidural abscess. The symptoms improved after the operation and administration of liposomal amphotericin B. The clinical isolate was identified as S. commune by a molecular-based method. To our knowledge, this is the first report of epidural abscess due to this fungus. Although rare, clinicians should be aware that S. commune could be a causative agent of CNS infections.
Subject(s)
Epidural Abscess/microbiology , Mycoses/microbiology , Paranasal Sinuses/microbiology , Schizophyllum/isolation & purification , Amphotericin B/administration & dosage , Amphotericin B/therapeutic use , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Epidural Abscess/complications , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Mycoses/complications , Paranasal Sinuses/diagnostic imaging , Schizophyllum/drug effects , Schizophyllum/genetics , Sinusitis/diagnosis , Sinusitis/drug therapy , Sinusitis/microbiology , Skull/diagnostic imaging , Skull/microbiology , Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
We report a case of vestibular schwannoma with absent vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) to clicks but normal auditory brainstem responses, caloric responses, and vestibular evoked myogenic potentials to 500 Hz tone bursts. This patient visited our clinic with complaint of sudden right hearing loss. This was the third episode of hearing loss in his right ear. Due to atypical medical history, he underwent further neuro-otological and neuroradiological examinations. Among the neurophysiological tests, only VEMPs to clicks showed abnormal findings (absent responses on the right). MRI revealed a small vestibular schwannoma in the right internal auditory meatus, which was considered to be of inferior vestibular nerve origin. This case suggested that VEMPs to clicks should still be included in the test batteries for the diagnosis of vestibular schwannoma.
