Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Solid-Organ Transplant Recipients: Postmortem Histopathologic Findings

Authors: BANU BİLEZİKÇİ, BEYHAN DEMİRHAN, ASUMAN NİHAN HABERAL, ÜNSER ARIKAN

Abstract: Invasive aspergillosis is often lethal in transplant recipients. The mortality associated with this disease after organ transplantation approaches 100%, partly because it is difficult to recognize and diagnose early on. The clinical course and histological findings in invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in immunocompromised hosts differ from those seen in patients who develop classic aspergillomas. In immunosuppressed patients, the predominant pathologic abnormalities are tissue invasion, abscess formation, and angioinvasion with or without infarction. In this study, we examined cases of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in one kidney recipient and three liver transplant recipients. All the patients were male, and their mean age was 41 years. The mean time to onset of infection was 37 days after transplantation. We discuss the pathologic findings of angioinvasion, infarction and bronchial invasion that were observed in these immunosuppressed individuals.

Keywords: Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, transplantation

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