fungus ball


ball

 [bawl] a more or less spherical mass. See also globus and sphere.fungus ball a tumorlike granulomatous mass formed by colonization of a fungus in a body cavity, usually a bronchus or pulmonary cavity but occasionally a nasal cavity; the organism may disseminate through the bloodstream to the brain, heart, and kidneys. The most common type is the aspergilloma.

fun·gus ball

a compact mass of fungal mycelium and cellular debris, 1-5 cm in diameter, residing within a lung cavity, paranasal sinus, or urinary tract; aspergilloma is a type of fungus ball of the lung.
A tumour-like mass of fungi, classically from the saprobic form of Aspergillus spp, which colonises a preexisting pulmonary cavity
DiffDx—Radiology Abcesses, ankylosing spondylitis, congenital lung cysts, cystic bronchiectasis, emphysematous bullae, cavitary histoplasmosis, neoplasia, radiation fibrosis, sarcoidosis, AIDS
Management Surgical excision of large lesions carries a 5–10% intraoperative mortality rate and a 25–35% complication rate, but, without surgery, potentially fatal haemoptysis occurs in 50–83%

fungus ball

Aspergilloma, mycetoma A tumor-like mass of fungi, classically from the saprobic form of Aspergillus spp, which colonizes a preexisting pulmonary cavity Radiology A solid rounded mass within a cavity, rimmed by an 'air density' crescent; surgical excision of large lesions carries a 5-10% intraoperative mortality rate and a 25-35% complication rate, but sans surgery, potentially fatal hemoptysis occurs in 50-83% DiffDx-radiology Abcesses, ankylosing spondylitis, congenital lung cysts, cystic bronchiectasis, emphysematous bullae, cavitary histoplasmosis, neoplasia, radiation fibrosis, sarcoidosis, and AIDS

fun·gus ball

(fŭng'gŭs bawl) A compact mass of fungal mycelium and cellular debris, 1-5 cm in diameter, residing within a lung cavity; usually produced by Aspergillus fumigatus.
See also: aspergilloma (2)

fun·gus ball

(fŭng'gŭs bawl) Compact mass of fungal mycelium and cellular debris, residing within a lung cavity, paranasal sinus, or urinary tract.