Aspergillus endocarditis in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Aspergillus endocarditis is a life-threatening condition. Establishment of the diagnosis and treatment remain highly challenging. Aspergillus endocarditis should be suspected in immunocompromised patients with negative blood cultures and vegetation on echocardiography. Definitive diagnosis is based on tissue histology and culture. The best treatment approach requires aggressive surgical debridement in combination with prolonged antifungal therapy. In this article, we report a 5.5-year-old boy with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in whom immuno suppression-related Asp ergillus endocarditis developed. The patient underwent a Ross operation and excision of a large vegetation in the left ventricular outflow tract. However, he died due to possible intracerebral abscesses during follow-up.