Medical image of the week: right neck mass with thoracic extension

Abstract

A 28-year-old female with a history of chronic pancreatitis s/p total pancreatectomy and auto-islet cell transplantation developed a progressively enlarging right neck mass of 4 weeks duration. Coccidioides IgM antibodies were negative and IgG antibodies were positive by immunoassay (EIA), with titers 1:4 by complement fixation (CF). Fine needle aspiration with subsequent excisional biopsy of the right neck mass was performed and showed reactive lymphoid hyperplasia without fungal elements. Bronchoscopy with right upper lobe endobronchial biopsy and 4R lymph node endobronchial ultrasound-fine needle aspiration revealed granulomatous inflammation and Coccidioides spherules on Gomori's methenamine silver stain. Fungal cultures from the right neck mass fine needle aspiration, endobronchial biopsy, and 4R lymph node grew Coccidioides after three weeks of culture.

Keywords

• Coccidioides
• Valley fever
• coccidiomycosis
• endobronchial mass
• lung mass
• neck mass
• islet cell transplantation
• immunocompromised host