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Disseminated histoplasmosis presenting as a unilateral cranial nerve VIII mass: a case report.

Gurgel RK, Roehm PC, Hansen MR

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To report a unique presentation of disseminated histoplasmosis. STUDY DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: University hospital, tertiary referral center. PATIENT: Our patient presented with vertigo, tinnitus, and unilateral hearing loss, and was initially found to have a 5-mm enhancing left internal auditory canal mass, as revealed by a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. Subsequently, the patient developed multiple focal neurologic deficits. INTERVENTIONS: Magnetic resonance imaging and treatment with intravenously administered amphotericin B, with subsequent oral administration of itraconazole. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical presentation and imaging findings of Histoplasmosis involving the cranial nerve VIII. RESULTS: A subsequent MRI scan revealed enlargement of the initial lesion and multiple parenchymal lesions. Further workup revealed a pulmonary lesion; the diagnosis of disseminated histoplasmosis was made on the basis of bronchoalveolar lavage culture. CONCLUSION: Infectious processes, including disseminated histoplasmosis, should be considered in the differential of internal auditory canal masses, especially in the setting of rapid progression of symptoms.

Published 28 September 2006 in Otol Neurotol, 27(7): 1014-6.
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