Other causes of intestinal obstruction actino-mycetoma - a case report and literature review / Outras causas de obstrução intestinal por actinomicetoma - relato de caso e revisão da literatura

Abstract Introduction: Actinomycosis is a rare infectious disease that affects abdominal organs and simulates oncological disease, hardly ever presents itself as a cause of intestinal obstruction. Symptoms: A 43 years old, male patient with two months of left abdominal pain associated to a growth and an 8 kg weight loss, no fever or bowel habit disruption. Interventions: A colonoscopy and an abdominal scanography. Results: A solid heterogeneous 7 × 3.8 cm mass localized in the splenic flexure of the colon with infiltration of its walls and its surrounding fat. Colon cancer was considered as the first diagnostic possibility. During hospitalization, the patient was taken to an emergency exploratory laparotomy, due to an acute abdominal pain with bowel obstruction symptoms. Histopathological diagnosis: Actinomycetoma. Conjoint continuous monitoring with the infectious disease attending, abdominal US and observation did not show new growths. Weight gain and progressive return to daily life was obtained within 8 weeks. Conclusion: In low income countries, intestinal actinomycosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of abdominal masses and chronic inflammatory processes, patient prognosis with proper management is excellent.

Resumo Introdução: A actinomicose é uma doença infecciosa rara que acomete órgãos abdominais, simula doença oncológica e dificilmente causa de obstrução intestinal. Sintomas: Paciente do sexo masculino, 43 anos, com quadro de dor abdominal esquerda por dois meses, associado ao surgimento de massa e perda de peso de 8 kg, sem febre ou alterações dos hábitos intestinais. Intervenções: Colonoscopia e uma tomografia computadorizada abdominal. Resultados: Observou-se massa sólida heterogênea de 7 × 3,8 cm localizada na flexão esplênica do cólon, com infiltração de suas paredes e gordura adjacente. Câncer de cólon foi a primeira possibilidade diagnóstica considerada. Durante a internação, o paciente foi submetido a uma laparotomia exploradora de emergência, devido a uma dor abdominal aguda com sintomas de obstrução intestinal. Diagnóstico histopatológico: Actinomicetoma. Monitoramento contínuo em conjunto com o tratamento da infecção, ultrassom abdominal e observação; não foram observados novos crescimentos. Ganho de peso e retorno progressivo à vida diária foram observados por oito semanas. Conclusão: Em países de baixa renda, a actinomicose intestinal deve ser considerada no diagnóstico diferencial de massas abdominais e processos inflamatórios crônicos; com manejo adequado, o prognóstico é excelente.

Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic right upper sleeve lobectomy and tracheoplasty in a 10-year-old patient.

Tracheobronchial pediatric tumors are very rare and procedures like pneumonectomy are seldomly indicated due to the associated morbidity. If a surgical approach is considered, the ideal oncological technique would be the minimally invasive sleeve resection, allowing preservation of lung parenchyma (very important in pediatric patients). Here we present the first report of a thoracoscopic right upper tracheo-bronchial sleeve lobectomy in a pediatric patient. A 10-year-old female patient, who received multiple antibiotic treatments for recurrent pneumonia without improvement, was diagnosed with a right upper lobe (RUL) carcinoid tumor. The patient was proposed for uniportal thoracoscopic surgery. The patient was placed in a lateral decubitus position and a single 3 cm incision was performed at the anterior level of 4th intercostal space. A right upper lobectomy with a tracheo-bronchial sleeve resection using the uniportal technique was successfully performed. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged home on the 7th postoperative day. The bronchoscopic control showed excellent caliber of the anastomosis with no complications. The uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) approach is an excellent option for endobronchial tumor management in pediatric patients, offering a quick recovery and low morbidity. The performance of a thoracoscopic sleeve anastomosis in young patients is crucial and should only be performed by very experienced thoracoscopic surgeons.