A case of pediatric cervicofacial actinomyces masquerading as malignancy: Case report and review of the literature

Cervicofacial actinomyces is an uncommon infection, especially in children. Notoriously low culture sensitivity and malignant appearance make diagnosis challenging. Treatment requires a prolonged antibiotic course often in conjunction with surgical debridement or drainage. We report an amorphous ant...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology Vol. 116; pp. 204 - 208
Main Authors Savoca, Emily, Mehra, Saral, Waldman, Erik H.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Ireland Elsevier B.V 01.01.2019
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Summary:Cervicofacial actinomyces is an uncommon infection, especially in children. Notoriously low culture sensitivity and malignant appearance make diagnosis challenging. Treatment requires a prolonged antibiotic course often in conjunction with surgical debridement or drainage. We report an amorphous anterior neck mass in a 10-year-old girl due to actinomyces. Diagnosis required open biopsy after non-diagnostic fine needle aspirate and core needle biopsies. The patient responded well to six-week course of parenteral penicillin followed by six months of convalescent therapy with oral penicillin. In addition to a case discussion, we review cervicofacial actinomyces in the literature with a focus on pediatrics.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Case Study-3
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ISSN:0165-5876
1872-8464
DOI:10.1016/j.ijporl.2018.11.001