title: Surgical implications of actinomycosis.
abstract: We have described two patients with abdominal actinomycosis, one with extensive intra-abdominal and thoracic disease mimicking metastatic carcinoma, and the other having the rarely described clinical entity of retroperitoneal disease without evidence of intra-abdominal involvement. Both patients responded well to appropriate therapy, but had unnecessary surgical procedures. The surgeon's role in cases of actinomycosis should be limited to the provision of a diagnosis when necessary.
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen; D000190:Actinomyces / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000196:Actinomycosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009382:Neoplasms, Unknown Primary / Q000175:diagnosis; D010400:Penicillin G / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012186:Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D010400:Penicillin G