• Hengameh B Pajer, Anthony M Asher, Aaron Gelinne, Weston Northam, David van Duin, and Carolyn S Quinsey.
• Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Buis Creek, North Carolina, USA.
• World Neurosurg. 2021 May 1; 149: 244-248.e13.

ObjectiveCerebral aspergillosis carries a high mortality. Rapid diagnosis and treatment can increase survival, but symptoms and imaging findings are nonspecific. The literature on cerebral aspergillosis consists mostly of case reports and case series and lacks large-scale review of data.MethodsWe performed a review of the literature using PubMed in March 2019. We recorded the year of publication, age and sex of patients, neurosurgical involvement, the antifungals administered, use of intrathecal antifungals, and the outcome of patients. The relationships among variables were tested using bivariant statics and linear regression.ResultsA total of 324 studies met the eligibility criteria, and 198 studies including 248 patients were included. Surgical resection (odds ratio [OR], 0.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.25-0.80; P < 0.01) and administration of voriconazole (OR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.18-0.55; P < 0.001) or itraconazole (OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.16-0.72; P < 0.001) were shown to be significantly associated with survival.ConclusionsGiven the significant survival benefits for patients who received voriconazole and surgical intervention, we suggest early antifungal medical treatment and resection.Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

22 keywords...

hide…