Article Text
Abstract
Abdominal masses clubbed with weight loss in the paediatric age group can raise hairs, especially since malignancy is a differential. We present the case of an early adolescent male who presented with abdominal pain and was found to have a mass mimicking a malignancy. The resected surgical specimen revealed entomophthoromycosis of the jejunum and he made a complete recovery following surgery and adjuvant itraconazole. The diagnosis of a fungal aetiology in these cases requires a high index of suspicion and background knowledge of the risk factors, disease occurrence and mode of presentation. Gastrointestinal entomophthoromycosis has an impressive potential for cure if promptly diagnosed and treated.
- Gastrointestinal system
- Gastrointestinal surgery
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Footnotes
Contributors All authors were responsible for drafting of the text, sourcing and editing of clinical images, investigation results, drawing original diagrams and algorithms, and critical revision for important intellectual content. All authors gave final approval of the manuscript. There are 5 authors for this case report all of whom have contributed significantly and equally (Kindly see the email in the supplementary file). MAS was the resident incharge of patient care and day-to-day management and was responsible for the literature search and basic writeup of the case report. ARD was the operating surgeon, was involved in literature search and manuscript write-up along with Meera especially handling of intellectual content. SBR was the overall incharge of the patient and was involved in critical decision-making. He contributed to the manuscript write-up and critical revision. KP was the in-house pathologist who contributed to making of the diagnosis along with manuscript write-up with a focus on the histopathology aspects. DA was the specialist gastrointestinal pathologist who diagnosed the condition and provided specific information on the disease and its outcomes. She also contributed to the write-up.
Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Case reports provide a valuable learning resource for the scientific community and can indicate areas of interest for future research. They should not be used in isolation to guide treatment choices or public health policy.
Competing interests None declared.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.