Abstract:

Pulmonary cryptococcosis is an acute, subacute or chronic pulmonary fungal disease caused by inhaling cryptococcus spores, and often disseminates to the central nervous system and results in cryptococcal meningitis. Recent studies show that the incidence of pulmonary cryptococcosis is increasing. The clinical symptoms, chest imaging and laboratory examinations for pulmonary cryptococcosis are not specific and these cases are often misdiagnosed. A patient with pulmonary cryptococcosis complicated with mediastinal tuberculous lymphadenitis was recently consulted in Hebei Chest Hospital. This case was misdiagnosed as lung cancer according to imaging and clinical symptoms in other hospital, and then misdiagnosed as tuberculosis after surgery. The diagnosis was confirmed after the pathological consultation and related examination in our hospital. The clinical, imaging and pathological features were analyzed retrospectively based on relevant literature to improve the diagnostic level and avoid misdiagnosis and mistreatment.

Key words: Cryptococcosis, Lung diseases, fungal, Tuberculosis, lymph node, Mediastinum, Diagnostic errors, Outcome and process assessment (health care)