A Case of Pulmonary and Central Nervous System Invasive Aspergillosis with Characteristic Radiological Findings

Central nervous system invasive aspergillosis is a rare fatal infection responsible for the majority of brain lesions in immunocompromised patients. A 56-year-old man with diabetes mellitus and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was admitted to the emergency department with a diagnosis of pneumonia-related sepsis. At presentation, cranial computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging were normal, but thoracic CT revealed right lung pneumonia, and antibiotic therapy was initiated. Control CT scans performed on the 13th day of admission because the patient had subsequently become hypotensive and somnolent revealed halo signs in the lungs and multiple hypodense lesions within the cerebrum, consistent with invasive aspergillosis. A post-contrast cranial CT scan also revealed vascular enhancement within the hypodense lesions, known as the central vascular sign. In conclusion, central nervous system aspergillosis can be diagnosed by means of tubular enhanced focuses in hypodense lesions on contrast-enhanced CT scans.