Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2010 Jan 21;16(3):395-7.
doi: 10.3748/wjg.v16.i3.395.

Actinomycosis of the appendix mimicking appendiceal tumor: a case report

Sang-Yun Lee  1 , Hee-Jin Kwon, Jin-Han Cho, Jong-Young Oh, Kyung-Jin Nam, Jin-Hwa Lee, Seong-Kuk Yoon, Myong-Jin Kang, Jin-Sook Jeong
Affiliations
Review

Actinomycosis of the appendix mimicking appendiceal tumor: a case report

Sang-Yun Lee et al. World J Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Actinomycosis is an uncommon chronic infectious disease. Common sites of involvement include the cervicofacial, thoracic and abdominopelvic regions. In abdominopelvic actinomycosis, the ileocecal region, including the appendix, is the most commonly involved site. In some reports, limited appendiceal actinomycosis has revealed a thickened appendiceal wall with peri-appendiceal inflammation as acute appendicitis or perforated appendicitis. We experienced pathologically confirmed intraluminal limited appendiceal actinomycosis without peri-appendiceal infiltration. Here, we report the computed tomography and ultrasound findings.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Contrast-enhanced CT revealed a well-defined solid mass with strong enhancement in the base of the appendix (arrow). Peri-appendiceal infiltration was not seen.
Figure 2
Figure 2
US showed a heterogeneous, hyperechoic, intraluminal mass at the base of the appendix, without peri-appendiceal infiltration. We also noted focal defects at the echogenic inner mucosal layer (arrows).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Microscopy of appendiceal actinomycosis. An abscess composed of chronic and acute inflammatory cells was observed in a mass-like lesion (arrow), from the mucosal surface to the superficial submucosa (arrowhead) (HE, × 10).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Higher magnification showed a typical sulfur granule surrounded by neutrophils in the clefted abscess center (HE, × 200).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lee IJ, Ha HK, Park CM, Kim JK, Kim JH, Kim TK, Kim JC, Cho KS, Auh YH. Abdominopelvic actinomycosis involving the gastrointestinal tract: CT features. Radiology. 2001;220:76–80. - PubMed
    1. Shah HR, Williamson MR, Boyd CM, Balachandran S, Angtuaco TL, McConnell JR. CT findings in abdominal actinomycosis. J Comput Assist Tomogr. 1987;11:466–469. - PubMed
    1. Ha HK, Lee HJ, Kim H, Ro HJ, Park YH, Cha SJ, Shinn KS. Abdominal actinomycosis: CT findings in 10 patients. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1993;161:791–794. - PubMed
    1. Maternini M, Saucy F, Sandmeier D, Vuilleumier H. Simple appendicitis. Can J Surg. 2008;51:E54–E55. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Yiğiter M, Kiyici H, Arda IS, Hiçsönmez A. Actinomycosis: a differential diagnosis for appendicitis. A case report and review of the literature. J Pediatr Surg. 2007;42:E23–E26. - PubMed