Abstract
Aspergillus osteomyelitis is a rare condition and is a recognized infection of the immunosuppressed. The pediatric cases that were documented suggest that in children, chronic granulomatous disease is the major underlying disease [Tack et al.1982 73(2):295–300, Baez-Escudero et al. 2000 Case report—primary sternal Aspergillus osteomyelitis. Infect Med 17(7):505–516]. We report an interesting case of Aspergillus osteomyelitis of the thumb in a 5-year-old boy with aplastic anemia. The infection progressed despite a combination of antifungal therapy with Voriconazole and surgical debridement. The thumb was amputated and the child recovered. This case highlights the difficulty in diagnosing Aspergillus osteomyelitis and also the failure of conventional management in this child, which resulted in the amputation of the thumb as a life-saving measure. We believe this to be the first case report of Aspergillus osteomyelitis in the thumb.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Tack KJ, Rhame FS, Brown B, Thompson RC Jr (1982) Aspergillus osteomyelitis. Report of four cases and review of the literature. Am J Med 73(2):295–300 (Aug)
Baez-Escudero J, Greene JL, Sandin RL (2000) Case report—primary sternal Aspergillus osteomyelitis. Infect Med 17(7):505–516
Vinas FC, King PK, Diaz FG (1999) Spinal Aspergillus osteomyelitis. Clin Infect Dis 28(6):1223–1229 (Jun)
Simpson MB Jr, Merz WG, Kurlinski JP, Solomon MH (1977) Opportunistic mycotic osteomyelitis: bone infections due to Aspergillus and Candida species. Medicine (Baltimore) 56(6):475–482 (Nov)
Williams RL, Fukui MB, Meltzer CC, Swarnkar A, Johnson DW, Welch W (1999) Fungal spinal osteomyelitis in the immunocompromised patient: MR findings in three cases. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol 20(3):381–385 (Mar)
Cartoni C, Capua A, Damico C, Potente G (1992) Aspergillus osteomyelitis of the rib: sonographic diagnosis. J Clin Ultrasound 20(3):217–220 (Mar–Apr)
Herbrecht R, Denning DW, Patterson TF et al (2002) Voriconazole versus amphotericin B for primary therapy of invasive aspergillosis. N Engl J Med 347:408–415
Weinberger M, Elattar I, Marshall D, Steinberg SM, Redner RL, Young NS, Pizzo PA (1992) Patterns of infection in patients with aplastic anemia and the emergence of Aspergillus as a major cause of death. Medicine (Baltimore) 71(1):24–43 (Jan)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rajkomar, I., Moss, T. Aspergillus osteomyelitis of the thumb in a 5-year-old child. Eur J Plast Surg 29, 41–43 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00238-005-0020-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00238-005-0020-3