Skip to main content
Log in

Hepatic involvement of disseminated actinomycosis

  • Case Reports of Interest
  • Published:
Journal of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery

Abstract

A 35-year-old woman was admitted for weight loss, fatigue, and epigastric and back pain. She had undergone uterine myomectomy 6 weeks previously, and light microscopic examination revealed actinomycosis. Radiologic examination showed 5×4×4 cm and 2×2×2 cm solid lesions in the left liver lobe. Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy could not exclude the possibility of malignancy. We decided to perform an explorative laparotomy. Frozen sections indicatedEchinococcus alveolaris infection or granulomatous inflammatory disease, and left hepatic lobectomy was performed. Histologic examination revealed hepatic actinomycosis. After 6 months' penicillin treatment, there was no sign of recurrence. This case of hepatic actinomycosis following uterine infection without gross involvement of any other abdominal organ raises questions on the dissemination pathway. The other interesting feature of this case is the short interval from the presumed initiatory event to the presence of the hepatic deposits.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Richards RJ, Grayer D (1989) Actinomycosis: A rare cause of fistula. Am J Gastroenterol 84:677–679

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Legum LL, Greer KE, Glessner SF (1978) Disseminated actinomycosis. South Med J 71:463–465

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Berardi RS (1979) Abdominal actinomycosis. Surg Gynecol Obstet 149:257–266

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Harris LF, Kakni PR, Selah CE (1985) Actinomycosis. Surgical aspect. Am Surg 51:262–264

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Newton J, Tacchi D (1990) Long-term use of copper intrauterine devices. Lancet 335:1322–1323

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Mali B, Joshi JV, Wagle U, Hazari K, Shah R, Chadha U, Gokral I, Bhave G (1986) Actinomycosis in cervical smears of women using intrauterine contraceptive devices. Acta Cytol 30:367–371

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Cleghorn AG, Wilkinson RG (1989) The IUCD-associated incidence ofActinomyces israelii in the female genital tract. Aust NZ J Obstet Gynecol 29:445–449

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Cedermark B, Sunblad R, Willems JS (1981) Suspected neoplasm of the liver with pulmonary metastases cured by surgery and penicillin. Am J Surg 141:384–386

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Mongiardo N, Rienzo BD, Zanchetta G, Lami G, Pellegrino F, Squadrini F (1986) Primary hepatic actinomycosis. J Infect 12:65–69

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Meade RH (1980) Primary hepatic actinomycosis. Gastroenterology 78:355–359

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Perlow JH, Wigton T, Yordan EL, Graham J, Wool N, Wilbanks GD (1991) Disseminated pelvic actinomycosis presenting as metastatic carcinoma: Association with the progestasert intrauterine device. Rev Infect Dis 13:1115–1119

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Pollock PG, Meyers DS, Frable WJ, Valicenti JF, Koontz FP, Beavert CS (1978) Rapid dianosis of actinomycosis by thin-needle aspiration biopsy. Am J Clin Pathol 71:27–30

    Google Scholar 

  13. Pollock PG, Valicenti JF, Meyers DS, Frable WJ, Durham JB (1978) The use of fluorescent and special staining techniques in the aspiration of nocardiosis and actinomycosis. Acta Cytol 22:575–579

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Cintron JR, Pino AD, Duarte B, Wood D (1996) Abdominal actinomycosis: Report of two cases and review of the literature. Dis Colon Rectum 39:105–108

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Brown JR (1973) Human actinomycosis. A study of 181 subjects. Hum Pathol 4:319–330

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

About this article

Cite this article

Emre, A., Carilli, S., Hazar, H. et al. Hepatic involvement of disseminated actinomycosis. J Hep Bil Pancr Surg 4, 337–339 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02489034

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02489034

Key words

Navigation