title: Nasopharyngeal actinomycosis on18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography: A case report.
abstract: Actinomycosis is a chronic disease characterized by slow progression, abscess formation, tissue fibrosis and draining sinuses. Occurrence originating from the nasopharynx is extremely low. The present study described the case of a 46-year-old otherwise healthy female, with no remarkable history of mucosal injury or teeth rottenness, who presented with an asymptomatic nasopharyngeal mass that was detected incidentally by18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography. A nasopharyngoscopy revealed an unclear demarcated granular mass. The patient then underwent a biopsy. Based on the obtained clinical images, microbiological results and histological findings, a diagnosis of actinomycosis was established. The patient experienced an uneventful eradication of the disease after two months of oral antibiotic treatment with amoxicillin. In conclusion, these findings indicate that actinomycosis should be included in the differential diagnosis of nasopharyngeal neoplasms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 813, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: Yu-Hsuan
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 813, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: Chin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 813, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: Hao-Wen
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 813, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: Ming-Yee
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Lin
keywords: 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography; actinomycosis; nasopharyngeal carcinoma