Clinical features of abdominal actinomycosis: a 15-year experience of a single institute

This study was designed to evaluate the clinical features of abdominal actinomycosis and to assess its therapeutic outcome. We reviewed patients with abdominal actinomycosis in Seoul St. Mary hospital, between January 1994 and January 2010. Twenty-three patients (5 male and 18 female, mean age, 47.8 yr; range, 6-75 yr), with abdominal actinomycosis were included. Emergency surgery was performed in 50% due to symptoms of peritonitis. The common presentation on preoperative computerized tomography was a mass with abscess, mimicking malignancy. The mean tumor size was 7.0 cm (range, 2.5-10.5). In all patients, actinomycotic masses were surgically removed. Mean duration of hospital stay was 17.8 days (range, 5-49). Long term oral antibiotic treatment (mean 4.2 months; range, 0.5-7.0 months) were administered to all patients. All patients were free of recurrence after a median follow up of 30.0 months (mean 35.5 ± 14.8 months, range, 10.0-70.0 months); recurrence was not seen in any patient. In conclusion, abdominal actinomycosis should be included as a differential diagnosis when an unusual abdominal mass or abscess presents on abdominal CT. Assertive removal of necrotic tissue with surgical drainage and long term antibiotic treatment provide a good prognosis in patients with actinomycosis.     

Treatment of abdominothoracic actinomycosis with imipenem

The probably successful treatment of a 42 year old diabetic patient suffering from relapsing abdominothoracic actinomycosis with imipenem is reported. Several earlier attempts to cure the patient by combination of surgical procedures (including cysto-jejunostomy and pancreatic tail resection) in combination with four or six week courses of intravenously administered penicillin G had failed.     

Generalized actinomycosis in an 8-month-old child]

Generalized actinomycosis as well as other fungal lesions are typical for children with congenital or acquired immunodeficiencies. The present case of generalized actinomycosis developed against the background of the immunodeficiency resulting from dysplasia of the thymus and lymphoid tissue after chemotherapy of abdominal tumour.     

Pulmonary actinomycosis

A case report of pulmonary actinomycosis is presented. The 33-years old man complained of long term pain in the thorax, coughing and subfebrile body temperature. Pleural empyema and pulmonary neoplasm were suspected. The final diagnosis was established by open thoracotomy and definitive histological examination. Partial lung resection and post operative penicillin G therapy were performed.     

Abdominal actinomycosis

Intra-abdominal and extraperitoneal actinomycosis are rare infections, caused by different Actinomyces species. However, they have been diagnosed more frequently in the last ten years. We report three cases of abdominal actinomycosis and a literature review of the last eight years. All three patients were diagnosed by means of histopathologic examination only. In one case, an intrauterine device (IUD) was associated with the infection. Therapy consisted of surgical resection of the inflammatory, infected tissue, and long-term antibiotic therapy. All patients are free of recurrence. Abdominal actinomycosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of an abdominal pathology of insidious onset, especially when an IUD is in place. Even when infection had spread extensively, combined operative and antibiotic therapy cured most of the cases.     

背部皮肤软组织放线菌病一例并文献回顾

目的探讨皮肤软组织放线菌病的临床表现、诊断、鉴别诊断及治疗，提高创面外科医师对皮肤软组织放线菌病的认识。 方法报道1例背部皮肤软组织放线菌病的诊治经过，分别以"放线菌、放线菌感染、皮肤、软组织"及"actinomycosis，cutaneous，soft tissue"为检索词检索中国知网和PubMed的相关文献并进行分析。 结果与所检索20篇文献相比，本例皮肤放线菌病的临床表现、鉴别诊断及治疗既典型又具自身特点。本例患者入院时并未表现出明显皮肤肿物，但皮下感染组织内多个窦道，伴较多土褐色脓液流出较为典型。本例患者入院第9天才培养出放线菌，但无论是术中肉眼观察、细菌培养还是组织病理学检查均未见典型"硫磺颗粒"。本例患者查体、术中所见及辅助检查结果和气性坏疽的临床表现高度相似，因此最初曾高度怀疑产气荚膜梭菌感染，但多次细菌培养及涂片均未提示产气荚膜梭菌感染。治疗主要包括全身状态的调整、手术清创及抗生素的应用。 结论原发于皮肤软组织的放线菌病较少见，临床表现多样，即便有相对典型特征，也并无特异性，诊断需综合考虑并鉴别诊断。皮肤软组织放线菌感染发病率低，不易诊断，需引起创面外科医师的注意，及早对本病作出诊断及治疗。     

Primary pleural epithelioid haemangioendothelioma with metastases to the skin. A case report and literature review

Epithelioid haemangioendothelioma (EHE) is a rare vascular tumour of intermediate behaviour. It can arise from various sites including the liver, spleen, pleura, or lung. Cutaneous EHE can be primary or secondary. This report describes the case of a 51 year old man who presented with a history of dry cough, shortness of breath, and pleural effusion, and who developed two cutaneous nodules in the anterior abdominal wall a few weeks later. He had a previous history of asbestos exposure. Computed tomography scan showed a left sided pleural effusion and nodular pleural mass. Histology of both the pleural and cutaneous lesions was compatible with EHE. Electron microscopic examination demonstrated the presence of Weibel-Palade bodies. The patient underwent elliptical excision of the metastatic cutaneous nodules after decortication of the primary pleural tumour and adjuvant treatment. A few reports have described metastasis of intrathoracic EHE to the skin. Despite treatment with interferon, the patient developed more cutaneous lesions two years after the initial diagnosis. Even though the tumour has the classic light histological and ultrastructural features of EHE, it behaved in an aggressive manner.     

Primary vesical actinomycosis: a case diagnosed by multiple transabdominal needle biopsies

Primary vesical actinomycosis is an extremely rare disease. In most cases it is misdiagnosed as vesical or urachal tumor and usually diagnosed through post-operative pathologic confirmation. Here we report a case of primary vesical actinomycosis confirmed by preoperative repeated multiple transabdominal biopsies. The patient was a 49-yr-old woman who presented with frequency, dysuria, and intermittent gross hematuria for 2 months. Computed tomography and cystoscopic examination showed broad-based, edematous, and protruding mass at the dome and anterior portion of the bladder. The clinical and imaging findings of the patient initially suggested vesical malignancy. Transurethral resection and multiple biopsies of the mass were performed. Pathologic examination demonstrated fibrosis with chronic inflammation. We performed repeated transabdominal multiple needle biopsies for further pathologic confirmation. Histopathologic examination demonstrated typical sulfur granules, which were consistent with actinomycosis.     

Management of patients with huge pelvic actinomycosis complicated with hydronephrosis: a case report

Actinomycosis is an uncommon, chronic, granulomatous disease caused by several species of the genus Actinomyces, a Gram-positive, filamentous bacterium that normally colonizes mucosal areas. Actinomycosis can be mistaken for malignant tumors, and in most cases the diagnosis is delayed or missed entirely until surgery. Actinomycosis in the abdomen or pelvis mostly results from prolonged use of an intrauterine device. We report the case of a 40-year-old female who presented with decreased urine production, poor appetite, marked loss of body weight and intermittent lower abdominal pain for 3 months. Abdominal computed tomography indicated a large infiltrative pelvic mass that was complicated by bilateral hydronephrosis, bladder compression and small bowel adhesions. Despite the elevated levels of cancer antigen 125, we suspected pelvic actinomycosis because of a 15-year history of an intrauterine device. The diagnosis was confirmed by histopathological examination of soft tissue obtained from a laparotomy biopsy. We successfully treated the patient with prolonged antibiotics instead of surgical eradication. Abdominal computed tomography obtained 1 year later showed almost complete resolution of the pelvic inflammatory mass.     

Cord compression: a rare complication of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

Two years after the diagnosis, while the disease was under good control, a patient with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) developed spinal cord compression from an extradural solid tumour composed of leukaemic cells. He was treated successfully with resection of the tumour followed by local radiotherapy and systemic chemotherapy.     

Pelvic ependymoma arising from the small bowel

A 37-year-old woman underwent resection of an abdominal tumour which was adherent to the wall of the ileum. The diagnosis of an ependymoma was supported by evidence of typical perivascular pseudorosettes which stained positive for glial fibrillary acidic protein and contained abundant intermediate filaments within the elongated processes by electron microscopy. Flow cytometric study showed a diploid population of tumour cells. This is the first case of an ependymoma arising from the small bowel without any connection to the genital tract, the omentum or with the sacroccygeal area. As is the case with other unusual and ectopic localisations of ependymomas, prognosis of this tumour is difficult to evaluate.     

Perivascular Epithelioid Cell Tumor (PEComa) of Abdominal Cavity from Falciform Ligament: A Case Report

We present a case of perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComas) in the abdominal cavity at the falciform ligament. A 30-yr-old Korean man visited to hospital for the evaluation of a growing, palpable abdominal mass. He had felt the mass growing over 6 months. There was no family or personal history of tuberous sclerosis. The resected specimen showed a mass of 8.0×7.0×5.5 cm in size. Histological examination showed sheets of spindle-to-epithelioid cells with clear-to-eosinophilic cytoplasm. Immunohistochemically, tumor cells were positive for HMB-4 (gp100) and smooth muscle actin. They were also positive for the S-100, which is a marker of neurogenic and melanocytic tumors. Patient was treated with radical resection of tumor without any adjuvant therapy. He is well and on follow-up visits without tumor recurrence.     

Immature teratoma in both mediastinum and liver of a 21-Year-old female patient

We present a case of an immature teratoma of the liver and the mediastinum. A 21-year-old female patient presented with dyspnea, abdominal pain, and abdominal mass. Abdominal ultrasonography showed a liver tumor which is located in the right lobe and composed of cystic and solid elements. Computed tomography (CT) also showed a big mass which contained multiple high density, nodular, semi-solid, heterogenic structures in the liver and another mass which contained multiple low density cystic lesions in the anterior mediastinum. Right thoraco-abdominal approach was performed on the patient and a complete macroscopic resection of tumors was achieved without complications. Both tumours were evaluated as having an intact capsule. The mediastinal tumour extended to the diaphragm on the right side, and is dissected from the 'surrounding lung, pericardium' and excised from diaphragm. Right hepatic lobectomy was performed for liver tumour. Intraoperative frozen sections of the liver tumor revealed teratoma. But the final pathological diagnosis was immature teratoma. Chemotherapy was given after surgery. The patient tolerated the procedure well and her postoperative course was unremarkable. At the first follow up 4 months after surgery she was alive and well and there was no evidence of recurrence, but the patient died within seven months with hepatic recurrence and spreading metastasis.     

Plasma cell granuloma associated with pulmonary actinomycosis: a case report

Plasma cell granuloma (PCG) of the lung is a rare disease that usually presents as a pulmonary nodule or mass on incidental radiographic examination without symptoms. Although the etiology of PCG is still controversial, many findings have lent support to the lesion being a reactive inflammatory process rather than a neoplastic one. We describe a 53-yr-old male who presented with a hemoptysis and have a lung mass at the left upper lobe on chest radiograph. The lung mass was primarily diagnosed as PCG by percutaneous needle aspiration and biopsy, and the patient was treated with oral steroid because he and relatives refused the operation. However, the size of the lung mass did not change and open thoracotomy and lobectomy were done therefore. He was confirmed as having pulmonary actinomycosis with PCG after surgery. To our knowledge, this is the first report of PCG associated with actinomycosis in Korea.     

Intranodal palisaded myofibroblastoma originating from retroperitoneum: an unusual origin

Background

Intranodal palisaded myofibroblastoma is one of the primary mesenchymal tumours. The inguinal region is the commonest site of this rare tumour. As there are only about 55 such cases reported in the literature, the precise aetiology and pathogenesis have yet to be explained adequately. Here we report a case of a 72 year old man presented with incidental finding of intranodal palisaded myofibroblastoma in the retroperitoneal region.

Case Presentation

A 72-year old man presented with abdominal pain in right upper quadrant with an incidental finding of abdominal mass in the right flank. The computerised tomogram scan of abdomen confirmed acute cholecystitis with a 5 x 5 cm retroperitoneal mass. He underwent cholecystectomy with excision of this mass. He recovered well following his operation and was discharged from the hospital. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of intranodal palisaded myofibroblastoma.

Conclusion

To our knowledge, this is the first case of intranodal palisaded myofibroblastoma originating from retroperitoneum. Along with the rarity of this case, we also discussed its typical histopathological findings, aetiology and pathogenesis.     

Malignant angiomyolipoma of the liver: a hitherto unreported variant

AIMS: After their original recognition in the kidney, angiomyolipomas (AMLs) have been reported in the liver for more than 20 years. In the kidney, five cases of malignant AML have been reported. We report the first case of malignant hepatic AML. METHODS AND RESULTS: A 70-year-old female patient presented with abdominal discomfort. Clinical examination revealed a palpable liver. CT scan showed a polymorphous hypervascular lesion in the right liver lobe. A biopsy was taken and resulted initially in a differential diagnosis between a hepatocellular carcinoma, a metastatic tumour (possibly of renal origin) and angiomyolipoma (AML). After immunohistochemistry, a hepatic AML was suggested, given the immunoreactivity for HMB45/NKIC-3. The mass was resected 5 years later because of relapsing abscess formation. Gross examination of the resection specimen showed a focally encapsulated brown mass with focal necrosis. Microscopic examination showed a tumour growing in sheets, separated by sinusoidal-like vessels. Most of the tumour cells had a large, polygonal, clear cytoplasm, often with eosinophilic condensation around the nucleus. There was prominent vascular invasion. Immunohistochemistry (reactivity for HMB-45, NKIC-3, S100 and alpha smooth muscle actin, negativity for cytokeratin and vimentin) and electron microscopy confirmed the diagnosis of monomorphic epithelioid AML with prominent vascular invasion. Seven months after tumour resection, the patient died of recurrent disease. CONCLUSIONS: This case highlights the importance of immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy in diagnosing this type of tumour. Possibly, in the past, malignant AML of the liver has been misdiagnosed as HCC.     

Clinical Features of Abdominopelvic Actinomycosis: Report of Twenty Cases and Literature Review

Purpose

Intrabdominal actinomycosis is difficult to diagnose preoperatively. This chronic infection has a propensity to mimic many other diseases and may present with a wide variety of symptoms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristic clinical features with review of the literature.

Materials and Methods

We retrospectively analyzed 22 patients with intrabdominal actinomycosis between January 2000 and January 2006.

Results

There were two men and 20 women with a mean age of 42.8 years (range, 24 - 69). Twelve patients presented with masses or abdominal pain, whereas 3 patients presented with acute appendicitis. The rate of performing an emergency surgery was 50% due to symptoms of peritonitis. The mean size of tumor was 5.5 cm (range, 2.5 - 11.0). Sixty percent (n = 12) of female patients had intrauterine device (IUD). The average time to definite diagnosis was 10.6 days.

Conclusion

Intrabdominal abdominal actinomycosis must first be suspected in any women with a history of current or recent IUD use who presents abdominal pain. If recognized preoperatively, a limited surgical procedure, may spare the patient from an extensive operation.     

Cutaneous actinomycosis: a rare case

Cutaneous actinomycosis is a rare presentation. Here we present a case of cutaneous actinomycosis with no history of trauma or systemic dissemination. The isolate was identified as Actinomyces viscosus by standard methods. The isolate was found to be penicillin resistant by Kirby Bauer disc diffusion method. Therefore, the patient was treated with cotrimoxazole and improved. Thus, this case highlights the importance of isolation and susceptibility testing in actinomycotic infection. The sinuses have healed, and the patient has recovered.     

Tuberculous epididymo-orchitis mimicking a testicular tumour: a case report

Introduction

Isolated tuberculous epididymo-orchitis may closely mimic testicular tumour particularly in patients with no history of systemic TB thereby presenting a diagnostic and treatment challenges.

Case report

A 44-year old man presented with 4 months history of left scrotal mass and had left orchidectomy following a presumptive diagnosis of testicular tumour. Histopathological diagnosis of testicular tuberculosis was subsequently made. Although the patient was thereafter referred for antituberculosis treatment at the local tuberculosis treatment centre, he defaulted after commencing treatment.

Conclusion

Adequate evaluation of patients with testicular mass by means of abdominal and scrotal ultrasound coupled with fine needle aspiration cytology is critical to diagnostic accuracy, optimal treatment and possibility of avoiding surgery in those with testicular tuberculosis.     

A case of primary hepatic actinomycosis: an enigmatic inflammatory lesion of the liver

Primary hepatic actinomycosis is one of the chronic abscess-forming infections of the liver. Accurate diagnosis is frequently delayed due to its indolent course and nonspecific clinical and radiological manifestations. We report a case of a 57-year-old man presenting with asymptomatic multiple hepatic masses on follow-up abdominal computed tomography performed 1 year after stomach cancer surgery. Although a percutaneous liver biopsy procedure was conducted twice in order to obtain confirmative pathology, only a nonspecific organizing abscess with plasma cell infiltration was revealed, without identification of any organism in the tissue cultures. Ultimately, actinomycosis was diagnosed following the detection of sulfur granules on open surgical biopsied tissue. This case suggests that primary hepatic actinomycosis should be considered as one of the possible causes for enigmatic inflammatory lesions of the liver.