Abstract

Background/Aims
Abdominal actinomycosis is a rare entity and difficult to differentiate from a malignant neoplasm. A study of clinical features and therapeutic responses will contribute to the understanding of this disease. Methods: We analyzed the clinical features and therapeutic responses of 12 cases of abdominal actinomycosis from 1989 to 2007. Results: The male to female ratio of patients was 1：1, and the patients had a median age of 50 years (range 38-60 years). Abdominal pain was the most common symptom, and seven of twelve patients had a history of abdominal surgery, trauma, DM or IUD (intrauterine device) use. An abdominal CT examination revealed infiltrative lesions with disruption of the tissue plane in eight cases, and colonoscopic findings showed luminal stenosis, nodular lesions and ulceration in four cases. Surgical resection was performed in eleven cases with a right hemicolectomy with or without a salpingo-ooporectomy, a left hemicolectomy or mass excision. Of the eleven patients who underwent surgical resection, seven patients received intravenous penicillin G (10-15×106 U) followed by administration of oral antibiotics for a median 8 months (range 4-12 months) according to the presence of symptoms and signs. Conclusions: With combined adequate surgical resection and high-dose antibiotic therapy, the therapeutic responses are favorable in most of the abdominal actinomycosis patients. (Intest Res 2007;5:177-183)

• Keywords: Actinomycosis; Abdomen; Colonoscopy