Report of two cases of actinomycosis of the neck, one acute and one chronic

We report two cases of actinomycosis of the neck, one acute and one chronic. The acute actinomycosis patient was a 63-year-old woman who complained of high fever, sore throat, and swelling of her neck on her first visit. Plain CT revealed gas-formation in the soft tissues of the left parapharyngeal space, the hyoid area and the cartilage thyroid area. We performed emergency tracheotomy and surgically drained her neck. No actinomycotic bodies were found microscopically in the surgically resected material, but cultures of the neck pus grew out actinomyces. A diagnosis of actinomycosis was made, and the patient was treated with administration of antibiotics, an ASPC drip infusion for about 7 weeks and oral BAPC for about 6 months, and the lesion was improved. The patient has been symptom-free for 4 years since the operation. The chronic actinomycosis patient was a 61-year-old woman who complained of swelling in the right submandibular region. Surgical resection was performed to exclude the possibility of a malignant tumor. Actinomycotic bodies were detected microscopically in the surgically resected material. The patient was treated with oral AMPC for about 6 months, and she has been symptom-free for 1 year since the operation.