Use of septal button in hard palate perforation owing to mucormycosis: a case report

Mucormycosis (MM) is a fatal opportunistic fungal infection that usually occurs in immunosuppressed patients and in patients with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (DM). Defects owing to MM (eg, hard palate) increase morbidity. Therefore, these defects must be treated with the most appropriate method. A 65-year-old female patient presented to our clinic with complaints of malodorous discharge from the palate and nose and right-sided headache for 1 week. She had DM and was not compatible with antidiabetic treatment. Samples were taken from the infected palate for histopathological examination and fungal culture. Rhizopus was detected on the fungal culture. After extensive debridement, the hard palate defect was closed with nasal septal button (NSB). Obturator prostheses, created by taking an impression of the palatal defects, are used to close palatal perforations. NSB is an alternative to close these perforations, because NSB is easy to apply and can reduce morbidity.