A case series of mucormycosis mimics on MRI—Tales of respite amidst the havoc

Abstract

Abstract Background Rhinocerebral mucormycosis is new bandit amidst present COVID-19 pandemic, it is an acute and lethal opportunistic fungal infection affecting immunocompromised and diabetic patients. Since the disease has got high morbidity and mortality despite aggressive treatment, radiologists play a very crucial role in early and accurate diagnosis. Erroneous diagnosis should be refrained by logistic approach and thorough clinico-radiological correlation. Material and methods Ours was a cross sectional study included six cases after taking written informed consent who recently presented with mucormycosis like symptoms and imaging findings during a period of 1 month, but by detailed clinical and radiological evaluation, we concluded that all these cases were either physiological mimics or extraneous artefacts, this helped greatly in relieving undue anxiety of patients and referral physicians and also avoided unnecessary further workup. This study was conducted after approval by the institutional ethical committee. Results Our study included 3 males and 3 females of age ranging from 32 to 62 years, all of which had history of COVID-positive having mild to moderate CT severity score who were treated with steroids and oxygen therapy (except one case). The most common presenting symptom was headache followed by nasal congestion. The mucor mimickers encountered were benign black turbinate sign, artifacts due to cosmetic dermal fillers and dental fillings, hemangioma, prolonged prone ventilation, and fungal ball. Conclusions Amidst the sudden spurt in the number of cases of mucormycosis in our country in the present COVID era, there has been an increase in the number of imaging requisitions. This series of cases aims to sensitize radiologists about the importance of detailed clinical history, thorough clinic-radiological correlation and at times also taking extra efforts to reconnect to patients regarding specific clinical history and avoid fallacious diagnosis.