Abdominopelvic actinomycosis: An unexpected diagnosis in an elderly female with a destructive-appearing soft tissue mass

We present the case of an elderly female who underwent a workup for acute blood loss anemia that incidentally led to the discovery of abdominopelvic actinomycosis. While esophagogastroduodenoscopy and colonoscopy were unremarkable, CT abdomen/pelvis displayed a soft tissue mass in the left sacral ala and presacral area that appeared suspicious for malignancy. MRI pelvis revealed a presacral abscess, and an IRguided biopsy cemented the diagnosis. This case exemplifies how actinomycosis can mimic the presentation of cancer. Risk factors included a history of ischemic colitis and lumbar laminectomy, as mucosal tissue compromise and orthopedic hardware can be niduses for infection. (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. CC_BY_NC_ND_4.0

Automated summary

This article presents a case of an elderly female who underwent a workup for acute blood loss anemia and incidentally discovered abdominopelvic actinomycosis. The case exemplifies how actinomycosis can mimic the presentation of cancer, with risk factors including a history of ischemic colitis and lumbar laminectomy.