Primary Aspergillosis of the Larynx

Abstract

Laryngeal aspergillosis is most commonly seen as a result of secondary invasion from the lungs and tracheobronchial tree in immunocompromised hosts. Primary aspergillosis of the larynx is, however, rare with few cases documented over the past fifty years. We report a case of a 73-year-old woman who presented with persistent hoarseness. She is a nonsmoker with a history of asthma and chronic bronchiectasis treated with bronchodilators, inhaled and oral corticosteroids, and nebulized tobramycin. Direct laryngoscopy with vocal cord stripping confirmed the diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis with no manifestations elsewhere. The patient was successfully treated with oral voriconazole with no signs of recurrence. Although several major risk factors contributing to the development of primary aspergillosis of the larynx have been discussed in the literature, there has been no mention of inhaled antibiotics causing this rare presentation to the best of our knowledge. We, therefore, highlight the use of inhaled tobramycin as a unique catalyst leading to the rapid onset of this rare presentation.