Date: 21 January 2014
The chest is distorted by a deformity of the back and ribs.
Copyright: n/a
Notes:
This patient’s X-ray is complex. The chest is distorted by a deformity of the back and ribs. Substantial metalwork following a spinal fusion is in place to support the vertebral column and part of this overlies the heart and part of it crosses the left lung. The patient also has a portacath device in-situ over the right lung, which allows i.v. antibiotics to be given. A needle is in-situ inside the portacath device. An external drainage tube is currently in-situ in a large air cavity and left upper thorax. This cavity contains mostly air but there is some fluid with the fluid level at its base. Underneath this large pyopneumothorax is a normal component of left lower lobe. The heart is very substantially moved to the right of the lung because of a previous right lower lobe resection. There is no evidence of aspergillosis on this x-ray as it stands.
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After 3 weeks of posaconazole given for chronic pulmonary aspergillosis, patient NC had a remarkable exacerbation of psoriasis. He had had psoriasis for years, with little trouble and almost no treatment. After taking posaconazole 400mg twice daily, he developed psoriatic plaques on his hands for the first time ever. The plaques on his lower legs became confluent. This occurred in association with worsening chest symptoms, notably increased coughing, more breathlessness and increasing oxygen requirement.
Posaconazole was stopped after 3 weeks, and 2 weeks later he was still very symptomatic with his chest. This responded to a 2 week course of corticosteroids, and his psoriasis also improved.
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Patient PC: An example of localised caspofungin rash and phlebitis related to caspofungin infusion.
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This 55 year old man with asthma, ABPA, severe bronchiectasis and lung fibrosis was treated with voriconazole, starting in June 2010. He had developed increasing dyspnoea on itraconazole for over 7 years, and his total IgE remained at 1100 KIU/L. He had marked photopsia (visual hallucinations) and facial erythema in the first 3 weeks of therapy. His trough voriconazole concentration was 1.17 mg/L. Over 3 months, he had minor improvement in his breathlessness but continued facial erythema, despite factor 50 sunblock. After 5 months of therapy his facial rash has altered to show acneiform lesions with localised crusting and background severe erythema. His face effectively crusted over, and he stopped therapy.
Over the next 3 weeks his facial appearance slowly improved ., ,