Successful Treatment of Recalcitrant Actinomycetoma of Gluteal Area with Combined Medical Treatment and Surgical Excision with Graft Reconstruction

Reconstructive surgery for mycetoma: Preliminary algorithm and a systematic review

Background

Surgical treatments of mycetoma are a cornerstone in management. However, while doing a wide surgical excision of mycetoma lesion, surgeons think about how to close the skin defect, which can be closed primarily, left to heal by secondary intension, by skin grafts or local flaps. In this review, we demonstrate the various applications and changes of mycetoma reconstruction after surgical excision.

Methods

This is a systematic literature search and review conducted to determine articles presenting mycetoma reconstruction options. Articles were identified, and the time of publication, type of study, time of study, and country of study were checked. Additionally, all patients in those articles were included. Patients' names, sex, clinical presentation, and management were identified.

Results

A total number of 9 articles fulfilled our inclusion criteria; 8 of them are case reports, and 1 is a case series. The first mycetoma reconstruction case was published in 1959. The country of publication varies from tropical and non-tropical countries. The total number of patients found in those articles is 34 patients, most of whom are male. The causative organism is mainly eumycetoma. The site of mycetoma lesions is varied with variable sizes. The reconstruction options used were skin graft and local or regional flaps, where only 1 case underwent a free flap for reconstruction.

Conclusion

Reconstruction of mycetoma should be considered following mycetoma surgery in small or large size defects if skin closure is not feasible and there is no indication for amputation.

Mycetoma management and clinical outcomes: the Mycetoma Research Center experience

BACKGROUND

Mycetoma is a chronic granulomatous inflammatory disease that affects the cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues, leading to gruesome complications if not treated early. As a neglected disease, it has received scant attention in developing curable drugs. Mycetoma treatment is still based on expert opinions in the absence of guidelines.

METHODS

This descriptive, cross-sectional, hospital-based study aimed to determine and assess the disease treatment outcomes observed at Mycetoma Research Center, Sudan.

RESULTS

In this study, 75% of patients had eumycetoma, all of whom were treated with itraconazole and 37.4% underwent surgical excision, while 25% of the patients had actinomycetoma, 99.2% of whom were treated with a combination of cotrimoxazole and amoxicillin-clavulanate. The cure rate was 12.7% and 14.3% for patients with eumycetoma and actinomycetoma, respectively. Only 6.1% of eumycetoma patients underwent amputation. Remarkably, no patient with actinomycetoma underwent an amputation. Small lesions (OR=10.09, p<0.001) and good follow-up (OR=6.81, p=0.002) were positive predictors of complete cure. In terms of amputation, history of surgical recurrence at presentation (OR=3.67, p=0.020) and presence of grains (OR=7.13, p=0.012) were positive predictors, whereas small lesions were negative predictors (OR=0.06, p=0.009).

CONCLUSIONS

Treatment of mycetoma was suboptimal, with a low cure rate despite a long treatment duration. Complete cure has a significant association with small lesions and good follow-up.

Mycetoma: Development of Diagnosis and Treatment

Mycetoma describes a heterogeneous group of cutaneous and subcutaneous infections caused by either fungi (eumycetomas) or bacteria (actinomycetomas). It is characterized by a triad of clinical symptoms: painless subcutaneous tumor-like swelling, multiple sinuses and fistulas, and discharged grains in pus. This predominantly affects the feet in more than 70% of patients. It is endemic in the "mycetoma belt" regions, including Africa, South America, and South Asia. Autochthonous mycetoma is rare in the United States of America (USA). We recently reported a Latin American immigrant with eumycetoma in the State of Maryland, USA. With millions of immigrants from endemic regions, the true number of mycetomas in the USA is most likely higher than currently recognized. With the aim to raise the awareness of clinicians about mycetoma, especially dermatologists and podiatrists, we update the development of the epidemiology, etiology, clinical presentations, pathogenesis, diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment of mycetoma.

Actinomycetoma laboratory-based diagnosis: a mini-review

Mycetoma is a chronic granulomatous inflammatory disease that is caused either by fungi (eumycetoma) or bacteria (actinomycetoma). The latter is caused by various actinomycetes of the genera Nocardia, Streptomyces and Actinomadura. They have different geographical distributions within mycetoma-endemic regions. In parts of Latin America, Nocardia species are more often encountered while in Africa, Streptomyces species dominate. For instituting a proper patient treatment plan, accurate identification of the causative organism is vital. For actinomycetoma, different laboratory-based techniques have been developed during recent decades. These include direct microscopy, cytology, histopathology and serology. More recently, different molecular techniques and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight mass spectrometry have been included as diagnostic methods for actinomycetoma. In this review, an update on the laboratory techniques currently in use for the identification of actinomycetoma-causative agents to the species level is presented.