A thoracic mass infiltrating the chest wall
A. Petroianni, V. Conti, C. Terzano Department of Cardiovascular and Respiratory Sciences, Respiratory Diseases Unit, Sapienza University of Rome, Fondazione E. Lorillard Spencer Cenci, Rome, (Italy)
A case of thoracic mass infiltrating the chest wall mimicking a pulmonary invasive neoplasm is reported. Differential diagnosis and characteristic radiological and histological imaging had a decisive role in the case management. Actinomycosis is caused by a gram-positive, filamentous, microaerophilic bacteria. About 15% of the infections caused by Actinomyces involve the thorax. If not promptly diagnosed and treated thoracic actinomycosis may determine contiguous and systemic involvement. Actinomycosis is an anaerobic-to-microaerophilic bacteria and direct identification and isolation are difficult to obtain. In depth discussion diagnostic and therapeutic features are described in this report.
Corresponding Author: Angelo Petroianni, MD; e-mail: angelo.petroianni@uniroma1.it
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To cite this article
A. Petroianni, V. Conti, C. Terzano
A thoracic mass infiltrating the chest wall
Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci
Year: 2011
Vol. 15 - N. 3
Pages: 345-348