Doctor removes 'tumor' from patient's brain, turns out it's white-fungus
After weeks of fighting the coronavirus infection, Kala Bai, 50, finally tested negative last month. She, however, said the right side of her body began feeling weak and tired, after which her doctor advised a CT scan of the brain. A small lesion was found through that test, which doctors initially thought was a tumor but were soon proven wrong.
Indore's top doctor thought it was malignant tumor
Kala Bai consulted Dr. Deepak Kulkarni, a senior neurosurgeon at the Medicare Hospital in Indore. He decided to immediately go ahead with an operation to remove what he thought was a malignant tumor. "The peanut-size lesion that was visible in her earlier CT scan had grown by over 20 times in a matter of two weeks," Dr. Kulkarni told ThePrint.
Biopsy results revealed it was actually white fungus
Doctors performed the operation on June 8, removed the "tumor" and sent it for biopsy to further study it. However, the results were quite surprising. What the doctors had been thinking was a tumor turned out to be white fungus - a rare fungal infection.
What is white fungus?
White fungus is caused by Aspergillus, a common fungus that we normally breathe in every day without falling sick. However, when a person's immunity is weakened, for instance - due to the coronavirus infection - they can develop infections due to this fungus. Symptoms are similar to those of COVID-19, such as fever and cough, hence there is a risk of delay in diagnosis.
'Never seen anything like this'
In this case, the white fungus was 8.4x4x4.6 cm by volume, which Dr. Kulkarni says is the "largest white fungus to be found in a patient's body in the world," according to ThePrint. Dr. Kulkarni, who has a 25-year-long career in medicine, further commented, "I have never seen a white fungus of this size in a patient's brain. This is definitely a unique thing."
Patient now on anti-fungal medicines and physiotherapy
Ramesh Pawar, Kala Bai's son, said she is now taking anti-fungal medicines and undergoing physiotherapy. "She will take some time to recover, but we are grateful she could be treated," he said, according to ThePrint.
White fungus cases seen in Delhi and Bihar
Several studies carried out across the globe have shown a link between coronavirus and the white fungus infection. A few cases of this infection have been reported in the national capital Delhi and Bihar. Before cases of white fungus began surfacing, thousands of cases of another infection - mucormycosis or black fungus - had been seen in Indian patients who were recovering from COVID-19.
