Intracranial complications of mucormycosis: an experimental model and clinical review.

The clinical course of patients with mucormycosis of the paranasal sinuses can be unpredictable and is often determined by intrinsic host factors. The degree to and mechanism(s) by which these factors influence a patient's ability to survive the disease are poorly understood. Extensions to orbital and intracranial structures occur in some patients with paranasal sinus mucormycosis despite aggressive treatment. Controversies persist over adequate antifungal regimen, the precise role of hyperbaric oxygenation, and the appropriate extent of surgical debridement. We have developed an alloxan-induced immunocompromised murine model of mucormycosis in mice. Deferoxamine iron chelation produced rhinocerebral mucormycosis in these animals when challenged intraethmoidally with Rhizopus spores. The implications of our experimental studies in the content of our clinical experience in managing patients with intracranial extensions of paranasal sinus mucormycosis are discussed.