acute fulminant fungal sinusitis in patients with acute leukemia

background: acute fulminant fungal sinusitis is a rapidly progressive disease with high mortality (50-80%) and occurring with increasing frequency in patients with acute leukemia. the purpose of the present study was early diagnosis of this le­thal infection. methods: in a cross-sectional study, 142 patients with hematological malignancies were studied immediately by initiation of chemotherapy to determine early clinical and radiological findings of invasive fungal sinusitis. this infection was con­firmed by pathological and mycological methods. results: acute fulminant fungal sinusitis was diagnosed in 8 patients with acute leukemia. the most common isolated fungi was aspergillus flavus (n= 5) followed by aspergillus fumigatus (n= 2) and rhizopus sp. (n= 1). despite prompt surgical and medical therapy, the disease in our patients was very aggressive with a rapid clinical course and high mortality. conclusion:  the present report shows the poor prognosis of invasive fungal sinusitis in neutropenic patients; the necessity to take intensive preventive measures and the application of new diagnostic methods for early detection of fungal infection in these high risk patients.