Abstract
Rhino-cerebral zygomycosis (RCZ) is an acute rapidly progressive fungal infection usually occurring in patients with diabetes mellitus and ketoacidosis. Patients typically complain of pain located in the facial, nasal or orbital regions, followed by sudden blindness and cranial nerve palsy. Early diagnosis, correction of risk factors, prompt surgical removal and aggressive antifungal therapy are warranted as life-saving treatments. The following report describes a case of a lethal RCZ which occurred in an apparently healthy woman with latent non-decompensated diabetes mellitus and a fetal-type posterior (FTP) circle of Willis.
Acknowledgements
All authors have made a substantial contribution to the information and material submitted for publication. They have read and approved the final manuscript and agree that the manuscript is not, either in whole or in part, currently under consideration by any other scientific Journal nor has it been previously published in either hard copy or electronic format.
The authors would like to thank the relatives of the patient for allowing the publication of this case and the photo of the patient.
Support was provided solely from departmental sources.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
This paper was first published online on Early Online on 01 February 2010.