Success of medical therapy in a rare case of cecal ameboma.

INTRODUCTION: Colitis caused by Entamoeba histolytica (EH) is prevalent in developing countries. Clinical presentation ranges from mild diarrhoea episodes to dysentery and liver abscess. Ameboma, a complication caused by EH invasion of the intestinal wall, is a rare presentation of amebiasis, occurring approximately in 1.5% of cases. Because of its insidious and variable clinical presentation only few cases are diagnosed previous to surgical intervention. We report a 52 years old Mexican-mestizo female, presenting with a pain-less right lower quadrant abdominal mass and diagnosed of cecal ameboma prior to surgery by colonoscopy and histopathologic examination. The present case highlights the importance of early diagnosis and medical therapy with antiparasitic drugs in order to avoid complications that could lead these patients to unnecessary surgical management.