Primary actinomycosis of an extremity: a case report and review

Primary infection of an extremity is an uncommon feature of actinomycosis and can readily be confused with actinomycetoma caused by aerobic actinomycetes such as Nocardia and Streptomyces. A case of primary actinomycosis of the leg is reported, and 35 cases published in the English-language literature are reviewed. There were 14 cases of upper extremity infections and 22 cases of lower extremity infections. Antecedent trauma had occurred in 21 cases. Lesions began in the skin, subcutaneous tissue, muscle, bone, and joint space. Spread to contiguous structures was characteristic, and most lesions eventually involved all of the aforementioned structures. The lesions were typical of actinomycosis with sinus formation and granules in the pus. Cultures were positive in 17 cases. Surgical therapy was necessary in most instances; penicillin remains the drug of choice. Pending results of culturing, a lesion with granules of branching gram-positive bacteria would best be treated empirically with penicillin and a sulfonamide. Prognosis is excellent.     

肺放线菌病一例并文献复习

目的 提高对肺放线菌病发病机制、诊断、临床特点及治疗的认识.方法 报道2007年3月解放军总医院附属第一医院呼吸科收治的1例肺放线菌病病例并进行相关文献复习.结果 患者女,66岁.反复出现咳嗽、咳痰、低热4年,多次X线胸片均示右中叶肺炎,经支气管镜检查及病理诊断为肺放线菌病.经林可霉素联合磺胺甲嚼唑/甲氧苄啶治疗6个月后痊愈.结合本例并复习近20年国内外文献报道的187例肺放线菌病(国外162例,国内25例)资料,结果 显示本病男性多见,发病年龄为12～87岁;咳嗽、咳痰、胸痛为常见症状,咳黄色颗粒样物为典型表现,但并不多见.胸部CT可表现为实质团块影、片状影、实变影伴支气管充气征、空洞、纵隔淋巴结肿大、胸腔积液及胸膜增厚等.病变部位以左下叶及右中叶居多,与肺癌、肺结核易混淆.确诊主要依靠经支气管镜活检病理及手术病理检查,痰涂片及培养阳性率低.青霉素、四环素、红霉素、磺胺类或林可霉素等抗生素治疗及手术切除是主要的治疗手段.结论 肺放线菌病是一种少见病,早期诊断和治疗可获得良好疗效.     

Primary gastric actinomycosis: A case report.

Gastric actinomycosis is an extremely rare disease. To date, about 20 cases have been reported in the literature. In most cases, diagnosis was made by histopathologic evaluation of an operative specimen. We report here a 68-year-old man with primary gastric actinomycosis who was admitted to the hospital with upper gastrointestinal bleeding and diagnosed as actinomycosis by microscopic examination of biopsy specimens obtained by endoscopy. This case is reported because of the rarity of endoscopically diagnosed primary gastric actinomycosis.     

Primary actinomycosis of the anterior abdominal wall: case report and review of the literature

Actinomycosis of the anterior abdominal wall is a rare infection caused by different Actinomyces species. We report a case of primary actinomycosis localized on the anterior abdominal wall, diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) scan, postoperatively confirmed by histopathological examination and treated by surgical resection combined with postoperative antibiotic therapy. The patient has been free of recurrence after 1 year. A review of the available literature is also presented.     

Pericardial cyst: case reports and a literature review

Pericardial cysts are rare mediastinal abnormalities, which are usually congenital but may also be acquired after cardiothoracic surgery. Cysts frequently occur in the right cardiophrenic angle and their diagnosis is usually suspected after an abnormal chest X ray is obtained. The presence of a pericardial cyst in this typical location or, less frequently, in an unusual location, poses a diagnostic challenge in distinguishing it from other intracardiac or mediastinal abnormalities. Two-dimensional echocardiography and transesophageal echocardiography are extremely valuable in diagnosing the presence of a pericardial cyst. Although most pericardial cysts are asymptomatic, patients may present with chest pain and dyspnea. In addition, life-threatening complications such as pericardial tamponade have been reported in association with pericardial cysts. The following cases illustrate the usefulness of two-dimensional echocardiography in making an accurate diagnosis of a pericardial cyst, as well as in follow-up of these patients for the development of possible complications. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 21, April 2004)     

A case report of cervicofacial actinomycosis

Actinomycosis is a rare chronic granulomatous disease. Here we reported a 23-year-old male presented with a neck mass in the antero-inferior part for 35 days, with increasing in size and appearing some new masses in various sizes on left side of neck. The masses improved to some extent, with an empirical therapy but relapsed after discontinuation of treatment. After further investigations in second admission, long-term treatment with penicillin was started with a diagnosis of cervicofacial actinomycosis. Bronchial cleft actinomycosis was proved in this patient, which is one of rare cases of actinomyces involvement.     

Liver resection in cases of isolated hepatic actinomycosis: case report and review of the literature

Hepatic actinomycosis is an uncommon entity that forms communicating abscesses and fistulae. We report a 53-y-old immunocompetent male patient with hepatic actinomycosis. Symptoms included intermittent fever, abdominal pain, right upper quadrant tenderness and jaundice. A hepatic tumour mass was found on abdominal sonography and computerized tomography. Two preoperative percutaneous core biopsies of the mass were not diagnostic. The above findings were highly suggestive for liver abscess or purulent primary liver neoplasm. Treatment with intravenous antibiotics was continued for 20 d, but both symptoms and liver ultrasound findings remained unchanged. The patient underwent exploratory laparotomy and right posterior segmentectomy of the liver. Pathological examination of the surgically removed specimen disclosed hepatic actinomycosis. Following operation the patient remains in excellent condition without evidence of recurrence.     

Pericardial mesothelioma. A case report

Primary pericardial mesothelioma is a rare malignancy, with an estimated incidence of 0.0022% in a large autopsy study. We report a case of primary pericardial mesothelioma revealed by a large and recurrent pericardial effusion. Through a literature review, we analyse the clinical findings of this tumor. With or without therapy, prognosis is poor.     

Pericardial tamponade complicating rheumatoid arthritis: a case report

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular involvement in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is increasingly observed and may be associated with the severity of rheumatoid arthritis. It is dominated by heart ischemic diseases related to atherosclerosis. Specific rheumatoid heart disease is commonly asymptomatic and found at autopsy or by echocardiography. Pericarditis is the commonest cardiac complication of RA. It is rarely clinically apparent and pericardial tamponade is exceptional. CASE REPORT: Herein, we report an unusual case of a 53-year-old female patient with a six-year history of seropositive and erosive rheumatoid arthritis who had developed a pericarditis complicated with tamponade resolved by pericardiocenthesis and high dose systemic steroids. Histopathology showed chronic inflammation and fibrosis. Under 1mg/day of colchicine, there were no recurrences at 10 months. CONCLUSION: Pericarditis is uncommon in rheumatoid arthritis. Forms with constriction or tamponade may have a fatal outcome. Pericardectomy usually recommended in constrictive forms, is sometimes indicated for tamponade. Some observations and randomised studies of idiopathic pericarditis suggest that colchicine may be interesting for the treatment and prevention of recurrences of rheumatoid arthritis-associated pericarditis.     

Gastrointestinal actinomycosis: an unusual presentation with obstructive uropathy: report of a case and review of the literature

A 55-year-old female patient is described who had recurrent retroperitoneal infections without an apparent focus. After a protracted period of illness the infection proved to be caused by actinomycosis. An unusual feature of the inflammatory process consisted of obstruction of the ureters, ultimately resulting in destruction of the left kidney. Hydronephrosis resulting from inflammatory fibrosis has not been reported in the literature before.     

Hepatic actinomycosis: Case report and review of the literature in Japan

Hepatic actinomycosis is rare. We report an 86-year-old Japanese man with a 3-day history of high fever and anorexia who had an actinomycotic liver abscess complicated by disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). A definitive diagnosis was made when anActinomyces species was cultured from aspirated pus. The clinical course was satisfactory. Treatment included prompt percutaneous drainage coupled with long-term intravenous administration of high-dose minocycline and piperacillin, combined with therapy for DIC. We reviewed 11 cases in Japan ofActinomyces involving the liver, including the case reported here. In most patients, there were no predisposing factors. Common symptoms and laboratory findings included fever, abdominal pain, leukocytosis, and elevated C-reactive protein. In 6 of the 11 patients a partial hepatectomy was performed because hepatic tumor was suspected. Five patients presented with a liver abscess. Hepatic actinomycosis should be considered in the differential diagnoses of pyogenic liver abscess and space-occupying lesions of the liver.     

Pericardial involvement as an atypical manifestation of giant cell arteritis: report of a clinical case and literature review

PURPOSE: Pericardial effusion has been known to be a rare manifestation of giant cell arteritis. During the last six decades, only 24 cases have been cited in the literature. In this report, we describe the case of a patient presenting with nonspecific symptoms and development of pericardial effusion. PROCEDURES AND FINDINGS: A 71-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with low-grade fever, exertion breathlessness, atypical diffuse muscular pain, and weight loss over a period of about 5 weeks. Pericardial effusion and giant cell arteritis were diagnosed by echocardiography and left temporal artery biopsy, respectively. Treatment with corticosteroids resulted in remarkable improvement of symptoms and complete remission of pericardial effusion. One year after admission, the patient remained in a stable good condition, under low steroid maintenance dosage. CONCLUSIONS: The diversity of clinical manifestations (such as pericardial effusion) in such a potentially severe disease should alert the physician to prompt diagnosis and treatment in view of impending irreparable vascular damages, even in cases in which the initial presentation is quite uncommon.