Abstract
Rhinocerebral mucormycosis refers to uncommon opportunistic fungal infections reported to occur especially in association with diabetic acidosis, immunosuppressive therapy, malignancy, or other chronic debilitating disorders. However, patients with no underlying disease have occasionally been affected. The patient was a 59-year-old man with initial complaints of retrobulbar pain in the right eye, and forehead pain. He had no apparent immunocompromising illness. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a mass invading the right orbital apex with extension into the right middle fossa. The mass was partially removed. The pathological diagnosis was mucormycosis. Two weeks after the operation he developed left hemiplegia. Right carotid angiogram showed occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. We started intravenous amphotericin-B therapy. There has been no disease progression. Based on our experience we emphasize that rhinocerebral mucormycosis be considered as a differential diagnosis in healthy individuals as systemically ill individuals presenting with orbital infections.
