International Journal of Science and Healthcare Research DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijshr.20210440 Vol.6; Issue: 2; April-June 2021 Website: ijshr.com Review Article ISSN: 2455-7587 International Journal of Science and Healthcare Research (www.ijshr.com) 222 Vol.6; Issue: 2; April-June 2021 CT and MR Imaging in the Diagnosis of Mucormycosis in COVID-19 Era - An Overview Tamijeselvan S Asst. Professor in Radiography, Mother Theresa PG and Research Institute of Health Sciences (Government of Puducherry Institution) Indira Nagar, Puducherry, INDIA 605006 ABSTRACT Mucormycosis is a rare but serious fungal infection caused by mucormycetes. Mucormycosis mainly affects people who take medicines that lower the ability of the body to fight germs and have health problems. The involvement and the extension of the disease can be investigated with the medical imaging modalities like CT scan and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. The knowledge and the interpretation of medical imaging is very useful in the treatment planning. CT scan and Magnetic Resonance Imaging is very useful in finding the intra-orbital involvement which is common in mucormycosis. Key words: Mucormycosis, CT scan, MR Imaging, Covid-19 INTRODUCTION Mucormycosis is a rare but serious fungal infection caused by mucormycetes, a group of molds. Mucormycosis mainly affects people who are taking immunosuppressive drugs have health problems. Mucormycosis is also known as phycomycosis. It was initially described in 1885 by Paltauf, is an uncommon and aggressive fungal infection that usually affects patients with alteration of their immunological system. 1 It is consider to be a lethal fungal disease, with rhinocerebral presentation being its most common form. 2 Although it has a low incidence rate, varying from 0.005 to 1.7 per million population, many cases have been reported recently, amounting to a notable increase in its incidence in the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. 3 Mucormycosis infection of the sinuses that typically affects immunocompromised patients with an impaired neutrophilic response. Persons can include those with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, iatrogenic immunosuppression, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and haematological malignancies, and those who have underwent organ transplantation. 4 Mucormycosis is delineated by the presence of hyphal invasion of sinus tissue and a time period of less than four weeks. 5,6 Clinically, rhinocerebral mucormycosis can be present with atypical signs and symptoms similar to chronic sinusitis, such as nasal blockage, proptosis, facial pain and oedema, chemosis, ptosis, and ophthalmoplegia, with headache and fever and various neurological symptoms if intracranial extension is present. 7,8 A black eschar is often seen over the hard palate region or in the nasal cavity . 9,10 Histological features include mycotic infiltration of blood vessels, tissue infarction, vasculitis with thrombosis, , haemorrhage and acute neutrophilic infiltrate. 11 Without early diagnosis and treatment, there may be rapid progression of the disease, with reported mortality rates from intracranial and intra-orbital complications of 50–80 per cent. 12 Even with prompt diagnosis, aggressive medical and surgical intervention treatment of underlying diseases, the management is often not very effective, leading to an extension of the infection and ultimately death. 13