A Case of Pelvic Actinomycosis.

Kim, Tae Woo; Lee, Yu Jin; Jo, Kyung Hun; Bae, Sung Jun; Yun, Yeon Jung; Lee, Shin Ae; Kim, Jong Woo

Case Report

Korean Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 2003;46(5):1077-1080.
Published online May 1, 2003.

A Case of Pelvic Actinomycosis.

Tae Woo Kim, Yu Jin Lee, Kyung Hun Jo, Sung Jun Bae, Yeon Jung Yun, Shin Ae Lee, Jong Woo Kim

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National Police Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

Actinomycosis is a chronic, progressive, suppurative disease which present some difficulty in establishing a correct preoperative diagnosis. Because pelvic actinomycosis has variable nonspecific clinical manifestations. Actinomyces species are gram-positive, non-acid fast, anaerobic bacteria that exhibit branching filamentous growth. After trauma, surgery, or other infection that alter the host's mucosal barriers, these organism advance to invade surrounding tissues and organs. Recent reports have demonstrated an increased incidence in women using Intrauterine device (IUD). It is accounted that IUD cause chronic intrauterine infection, tissue injury, and act as nucleus for parasitic infestation. We have experienced a cause of pelvic actinomycosis in a 37-year-old woman using IUD and report it with brief review of literature.

Key Words: Pelvic actinomycosis, Intrauterine device (IUD)