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CLINICAL AND IMAGING FEATURES ON CT-SCANER OF 
ASPERGILLOMA ON THORACIC PLOMBAGE PROCEDURE 
 Le Tien Dung1; Nguyen Cong Minh2; Pham Vinh Quang3 
 Nguyen Van Nam3; Le Viet Anh3 
SUMMARY 
Objectives: To review some clinical features and lesions in computed tomography imaging of 
patients with aspergilloma had conducted Plombage procedure. Subjects and methods: 
Prospective study on 92 haemoptysis patients with Aspergilloma performed by Plombage 
surgery, review some clinical features and lesions in computed tomography imaging at the 
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital from November 2011 to November 
2017. Results: Tuberculosis and haemoptysis were the most (92.4% and 100%). 100% of 
Aspergilloma position was on the upper lobe. Fungus ball in cavity was 79.3% and 100% of 
Aspergilloma type II. Conclusions: Computed tomography has an important role in the 
identification of lesions, diagnosis and indications for surgery. 
* Keywords: Aspergilloma; Plombage surgery; Computed tomography. 
INTRODUCTION 
Aspergillus was first reported by 
Virchow in 1856. The most frequently 
noticed fungal infections are Aspergilloma 
due to haemoptysis, sometimes heavy 
haemoptysis, which can lead to death. 
About 17% of Aspergilloma grows in 
tuberculosis cavity. The most of procedure 
of treatment of Aspergilloma is surgery, 
the indication of surgery based on the 
characteritics of lesions of Aspergilloma. 
Most authors believe that computed 
tomography (CT) is a basic test to 
determine the diagnosis and to decide 
how to perform surgery, especially in 
Plombage surgery for haemoptysis due to 
Aspergilloma. 
In the world, there are many authors 
who have studied this problem, but in 
Vietnam, there are few publications, 
especially about features of Aspergilloma 
that have indicated Plombage surgery on CT. 
Therefore, we conducted study with 
the purpose: A review of some clinical 
features and lesions in CT imaging of 
patients with Aspergilloma has indicated 
Plombage procedure. 
SUBJECTS AND METHODS 
1. Subjects. 
 92 haemoptysis patients caused by 
Aspergilloma, underwent Plombage approach 
at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, 
Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital from November 
2011 to November 2017. 
1. Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital 
2. Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine 
3. 103 Military Hospital 
Corresponding author: Le Tien Dung (
[email protected]) 
 Date received: 05/08/2018 
 Date accepted: 24/09/2018 
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2. Research methods. 
- Research methods: Prospective, 
descriptive study. 
* Clinical criteria: 
- Age, gender. 
- Medical history: Tuberculosis, bulla, 
bronchocyst, lung abscess, lung cancer. 
- Clinical symptoms: Haemoptysis, phlegm, 
chest pain, dyspnea. 
* CT’s image evaluation: 
- Aspergilloma position. 
- Aspergilloma size. 
- Aspergilloma imaging. 
- Other lession: Fibrosis, pleural plaque. 
- Classification of Aspergilloma by Fraser 
J.W (1965), Stewart M Scott (1996) [8]: 
+ Type I: Simple, thin-walled cavity ≤ 3 mm 
and have no lession around tumor. 
+ Type II: Complex, thick-walled > 3 mm 
and/or have lession around tumor. 
Figue 1: Type I. Figue 2: Type II. 
* Data processing: Epi.info 2003. 
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 
1. Clinical characteristics. 
Table 1: Clinical characteristics of Aspergilloma patients. 
Clinical characteristics Patients % 
Male 70 76.1 
Gender 
Female 22 23.9 
Age 52.8 ± 10.8 (26 - 79) 
Tuberculosis 85 92.4 
Lung abscess 2 2.2 
Bronchocyst 1 1.1 
Bulla 4 4.3 
History 
Lung cancer 0 0 
Haemoptysis 92 100.0 
Phlegm 60 65.2 
Chest pain 46 50.0 Clinical criteria 
Dyspnea 11 12.0 
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In our study, the youngest patient was 
26 years old, the oldest was 79 years old, 
the average age was 52.8. Comparing to 
the other studies such as Babatasi’s, the 
mean age was 42 [4], Duong Thong’s was 
42 [3]. 
There were 76.1% male, three times 
higher than female (23.9%). Due to the 
development of Aspergilloma on the old 
tuberculosis, the rate of tuberculosis in 
men was higher than in women. 
Tuberculosis history accounted for the 
highest rate in all studies, and our rate 
was 92.4%. Pulmonary tuberculosis is a 
very serious complication, the results 
were complex damage as well as 
impairment of respiratory function. With 
the incidence of new tuberculosis cases 
of 100/100,000 people, in which 
tuberculosis cavity is 15% [5]. 
The most common symptom of 
Aspergilloma is recurrent haemoptysis, 
sometimes heavy haemoptysis, which can 
lead to death. In our study, blood cough 
symptoms accounted for 100%. High rates 
of blood cough symptoms had been 
reported in many domestic and foreign 
studies of Aspergilloma (from 81.8% to 
93.8%) [2, 3]. Fungal disease also had 
other symptoms such as phlegm, chest 
pain and dyspnea, which were also common 
in lung fungal infections. However, it is not 
specific because it is a common symptom 
of other chronic diseases. They are less 
noticeable if they are not accompanied by 
coughing blood [1]. 
2. Imaging characteristics on CT. 
Table 2: Aspergilloma position on CT. 
Imaging characteristics Patients % 
Both side 4 4.3 
Right upper lobe 44 47.8 
Left upper lobe 40 43.6 
Left lower lobe 0 - 
Position 
Left upper - lower lobe 4 4.3 
The exact location of lung tumors in 
the upper lobe is due to the fact that most 
of lung tumors develop on the tuberculosis 
cavity, which is caused by tuberculosis 
lesions, which usually reside in the lung 
apex. Aspergilloma developed on the 
basis of old tuberculosis that developed 
in > 90% of pulmonary tuberculosis and 
left the upper lobe in sequelae. This result 
was consistent with other studies by Babatasi 
(71.4%) [4], Chang (77%), Duong Thong 
(81%) [3]. 
* Aspergilloma imaging on CT: 
On CT, fungus ball accounted for 
79.3%, solid masses rate was 13% and 
spongy rate was 40.2%. The fungus ball 
and solid masses were the most valuable 
standards for diagnosis of Aspergilloma. 
And CT was the most important factor in 
diagnosis of Aspergilloma [7]. 
* Other lessions on CT: 
The other lessions on CT were pleural 
thickening (98.9%), fibrosis (82.6%), 
calcification (68.5%), emphysema (47.8%), 
nodules fibrosis (45.7%), nodules (22.8%), 
invasive (12%), bronchiectasis (10.9%) and 
masses (7.6%). The other accompanied 
lessions on CT such as pleural thickening, 
emphysema, calcification, bronchiectasis 
were prognosis for the results of operation [9]. 
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* Aspergilloma size on CT: 
On CT, the Aspergilloma size of 4 cm 
accounted for 1,1% (1 patient), size of 
5 cm was 7 patients (7.6%), size of 6 cm 
was 22 patients (23.9%), size of 7 cm was 
15 patients (16.3%), size of 8 cm was 
16 patients (17.4%), size of 9 cm was 
8.7% (8 patients) and size of ≥ 10 cm was 
24.9% (23 patients). 
* Aspergilloma classification on CT: 
Aspergilloma type II (complex) was 
100%. There was no type I (simple) in 
Aspergilloma classification. 
Indication and prognosis of surgery for 
Aspergilloma depend on size and 
classification of tumor on CT. In our study, 
Aspergilloma type II was 100%, the mean 
size of tumor was 7.2 cm. Regnard J [10] 
researched on 89 patients: 84.3% of 
patients with type I that underwent 
lobectomy and 15.7% of patients with 
type II underwent thoracoplasty. 
CONCLUSION 
After researching 92 haemoptysis patients 
with Aspergilloma, who were performed 
Plombage approach at the Department 
of Thoracic Surgery, Pham Ngoc Thach 
Hospital from November 2011 to November 
2017, we have some comments: 
- Most of patients have a history of 
pulmonary tuberculosis (82.4%) with 
haemoptysis (100%). 
- On CT: All of Aspergilloma are located 
on upper lobe (100%), the fungus ball is in 
most cases with 79.3%, the accompanied 
lessions are pleural thickening, calcification, 
emphysema, bronchiectasis; Aspergilloma 
type II is 100%. 
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