Urinary bladder fungal ball and emphysematous cystitis in a 13-year-old diabetic female: A case report from Mbeya Zonal Referral Hospital (MZRH), Southern Highland Tanzania

Abstract

Fungal ball in the urinary bladder is very rare. We present our experience of this rare condition in a diabetic teenage girl with poor glycaemic control who presented with a mass protrusion per urethra and episodes of urine retention. CT-IVU revealed urinary bladder fungal ball and histopathological examination showed branching fungal bodies. She was kept on oral fluconazole for nine weeks with complete resolution of urethral mass, urinary bladder fungal ball and episodes of urine retention. Urinary fungal ball is rare in the medical literature and mostly seen in immunocompromised individuals and Intensive care patients in vegetative states. Oral fluconazole has an excellent response and Amphotericin B is reserved for upper urinary tract fungal infection and debilitated individuals.