SCINTIGRAPHY USEFULNESS IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF VISCERAL CANDIDIASIS

  • 1 January 1987
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 45  (6) , 657-660
Abstract
From the features of two cases, the authors stress the usefulness of the scintigraphy as regards the diagnosis of visceral candidial abscesses. Such fungal localizations are not infrequent, especially in immunodeficient patients (haematologic malignancies undergoing chemotherapy, lupus, serious visceral illness...). The positive diagnosis is uneasy because of non-specific clinical features and frequent negative blood cultures. Splenic localization is most likely. Citrate Gallium scintigraphy together with splenic labeled RBC scan enables us to give a precise view of the splenic involvement and even of the abdominal extension of the fungal abscess. From the literature review and these two cases, the excellent adequacy of the scintigraphy to the follow-up of systemic candidiasis is underlined and is compared to other usual morphological studies such as US scan and CT examination. In both cases, the diagnosis is fully confirmed by mycological examination.