Role of CT in the Diagnosis and Follow up of Pediatric Oncology Patients with Fungal Infection

Abstract

nvasive fungal infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, with increased incidence in the past decade due to use of immunosuppressive drugs; long duration steroid therapy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, increase bone marrow transplantation. Few studies were done concerning pediatric population alone, the few available data showed that the clinical symptoms and radiological findings are not specific unlike in adult, making the diagnosis more challenging and cause delay in treatment. With limitations of the histopathological analysis, many studies had recommended performing initial CT scan in immunocompromised patients with suspected fungal infection and start antifungal treatment if the imaging finding with the clinical data alone suggested invasive fungal infection. In our study the macronodules was the most significant findings for fungal infection, the halo sign and the air crescent sign were not reported in our cases, although being the most common findings in adult population.