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Pelvic actinomycosis with clinical features of an adnexal neoplastic tumor – a case report

Adam Paplicki, Piotr Sobiczewski, Magdalena Kowalska, Rafał Nowak, Izabela Krzyszkowska

Affiliacja i adres do korespondencji
CURR. GYNECOL. ONCOL. 2013, 11 (3), p. 238–243
DOI: 10.15557/CGO.2013.0022
Streszczenie

Actinomycosis manifesting as a pelvic tumor is a rare complication following a long-term use of a contraceptive intrauterine device (IUD), which constitutes about 3% of all human actinomycosis infections. The most common symptoms include abdominal pain, vaginal discharge, hematuria, and inflammatory bowel disease. A clinical examination reveals an adnexal tumor, and occasionally intraperitoneal abscesses or even an enterovesical fistula. The lack of any typical symptoms makes the diagnostics very difficult, thereby necessitating a laparotomy in most cases. Case report: A 41-year-old woman was admitted to The Gynecologic Oncology Department of The Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center in Warsaw with a three-month history of abdominal pain, and a weight loss of 23 kg over the same period. The patient had a contraceptive intrauterine device inserted 17 years earlier. A clinical examination, a transvaginal ultrasound and a computed tomography scan revealed a mass of 170 × 150 × 100 mm in the left lower quadrant of the abdomen and the pelvis, as well as dilated left ureter, and left-side hydronephrosis. Due to the presence of the tumor suspicious for malignancy, the patient was scheduled for a surgical procedure. The surgery included: a total abdominal hysterectomy, a left-side salpingo-oophorectomy, and an omentectomy, followed by a biopsy of the right-side iliac lymph nodes. A histologic examination established pelvic actinomycosis. Conclusion: A diagnosis of pelvic actinomycosis should be considered in patients with a pelvic mass, particularly those with a long-term history of an intrauterine contraceptive device, thereby affecting the choice of the course and the extent of treatment.

Słowa kluczowe
actinomycosis, pelvic tumor, contraceptive intrauterine device (IUD), suspicion of malignancy, overtreatment