Surgical Outcome of Mycetoma: Eleven Years Experience in a High Volume Center

Pier Antonio Mitcheli, an Italian priest and biologist, discovered Aspergillus in 17291. The first description of aspergillosis in man was reported by Bennet in 18422. Since then different spectrums of the disease is known in man including invasive aspergillosis, aspergilloma and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Sluyter was first to report pulmonary Aspergillosis in 18473 and Gerstyl reported the first lung resection for it in 19484. Mycetoma or Aspergilloma is the formation of fungal ball when fungi colonize the pre-existing pulmonary cavities of any etiology5,6; the term was coined by Deve in 19387. There is no effective medical treatment8,9 and surgery is the mainstay of treatment8-12. The most common symptom is hemoptysis13,14 which may be of varying degrees and because of fear of life threatening fatal hemoptysis11,15, surgery is advised in all patients.