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CASE REPORT article

Front. Med.
Sec. Pulmonary Medicine
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1453043

A Suspected Case of Chronic Pulmonary Sparganosis Characterized by Migrating Cavities and Tunnel Sign

Provisionally accepted
Zhongfeng Niu Zhongfeng Niu 1*Li Zhao Li Zhao 2*Lujiao chen Lujiao chen 2Yanhua Zhang Yanhua Zhang 3*
  • 1 Department of Radiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Graduate School, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
  • 2 Department of Radiology, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China
  • 3 Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Graduate School, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    A 20-year-old male patient with a 15-month history of recurrent cough and hemoptysis presented at our hospital with suspected pulmonary sparganosis. Computed Tomography (CT) revealed migratory and variable lesions ranging from patchy shadows to nodular and cavernous foci. Additionally, the location and morphology of the cavities changed rapidly. The patient's peripheral blood eosinophil count remained within the normal range throughout the course of the infection, and antibiotics (moxifloxacin) alleviated the symptoms. At the early stage of admission, there was a slight increase in neutrophil and basophil counts. Initial treatment with a standard dose of praziquantel led to a significant improvement in symptoms, but the symptoms soon relapsed. However, doubling the dose four months later eventually cured the disease. The migratory nature of the CT lesion and the presence of tunnel signs were key to diagnosing a parasitic infection. The variability and rapid changes in the lesion further facilitated the differentiation of the disease, which rarely manifests as a granulomatous cavity.

    Keywords: Pulmonary sparganosis, Migrating Cavities, tunnel sign, computed tomography, case report

    Received: 24 Jul 2024; Accepted: 09 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Niu, Zhao, chen and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Zhongfeng Niu, Department of Radiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Graduate School, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China
    Li Zhao, Department of Radiology, Shaoxing People's Hospital, Shaoxing, 312000, Zhejiang Province, China
    Yanhua Zhang, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Graduate School, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310016, Zhejiang, China

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