title: Rare presentation of actinomycosis as an abdominal mass: report of a case.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this article was to report an unusual presentation of abdominal actinomycosis masquerading as a tumor.
  
  
  METHODS
  The patient was a 54-year-old male who presented with vague abdominal discomfort and a palpable left lower quadrant mass defined on CT scan. Multiple intraoperative core biopsies were nondiagnostic, and he underwent en bloc resection of the mass and adjacent organs for a presumed tumor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Examination of tissue from deep within the excised specimen revealed sulfur granules diagnostic for actinomycosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Abdominal actinomycosis is an extremely rare infection that can mimic multiple disease processes and requires accurate diagnosis for successful therapy. This novel presentation and a review of the literature are reported.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, USA.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Nwariaku
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: McClelland
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gibbons
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Leach
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Sagalowsky
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Simmang
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Jeyarajah
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen; D000008:Abdominal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000196:Actinomycosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011860:Radiography, Abdominal; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed