A 59-Year-Old Man With a Pulmonary Cavity Containing Fungus Balls

Abstract

Case Presentation

A 59-year-old man living in the suburban area of Greater Tokyo presented to his local hospital with chronic productive cough persisting for 1 year and hemoptysis for the past 3 months. A chest CT scan revealed an uneven cavity containing multiple masses in his right upper lobe (Fig 1). Sputum culture turned positive twice for filamentous fungi, but species could not be identified. The patient had active tobacco use with a 25 pack-year smoking history. Additionally, he had a history of hypertension and untreated diabetes mellitus, with a hemoglobin A1C level of 12.2%. Consequently, he was referred to our hospital for further investigation and treatment.