Fungus ball; Mycetoma; Aspergilloma

Many patients never develop symptoms. Often, no treatment is needed, unless you are coughing up blood.

Occasionally, antifungal medications may be used.

Sometimes, injecting dye into the blood vessels (angiography) may be used to find the site of bleeding. The bleeding is stopped by shooting tiny pellets into the bleeding vessel.

Surgery is often the only choice if there is life-threatening bleeding.

The outcome can be good in many patients. However, it depends on the severity of the condition and your overall health.

Surgery may be very successful in some cases, but it is complex and can have a high risk of serious complications.

• Difficulty breathing that gets worse
• Massive bleeding from the lung
• Spread of the infection (see acute invasive aspergillosis)

See your health care provider if you cough up blood, and mention any other symptoms that have developed.

Images

Pulmonary aspergillosis

Aspergilloma

Pulmonary nodule - front view chest X-ray

Aspergillosis - chest X-ray

Lungs

Pulmonary nodule, solitary - CT scan

Respiratory system

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Pulmonary aspergilloma Symptoms

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Pulmonary aspergilloma Prevention

Review Date: 09/15/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)