Rhinocerebral mucormycosis: An Iraqi experience of 16 consecutive cases followed up for up ten years

This retrospective study aimed to assess the clinical features, associated risk factors and mortality rate in a group of Iraqi patients with Rhino-cerebral mucormycosis (RCM). The medical records of sixteen consecutive cases of RCM were reviewed retrospectively. Biopsies from the patients were referred to the Oral Pathology Laboratory at the College of Dentistry/University of Baghdad for histopathologic examination to confirm the diagnosis during the period from 2010 to 2019. The patients age ranged from 20 to 80 years with an average of 54.38 years. Fourteen (87.5 %) of the patients were males and 15 (93.75 %) were uncontrolled diabetics. The diagnosis was made by clinical and radiographic examination and confirmed by histopathological evaluation. All patients presented with an exposed intraoral necrotic bone and oro-nasal and antral fistulae. Follow up information was available for a minimum of six months, during which; two patients (12.5 %) were deceased within the review period. Base on this cohort of subjects, RCM is more common among males. Diabetes mellitus constitutes a significant risk factor for this infection. The presences of necrotizing maxillary lesion with fistula tract in RCM could be the reason for lower mortality rate in comparison to other mucormycosis variants. This difference in outcome could be explained by the early presentation, histopathological diagnosis and treatment of the cases. (C) 2021 Asian AOMS, ASOMP, JSOP, JSOMS, JSOM, and JAMI. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.*