Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Feb 16, 2022; 10(5): 1702-1708
Published online Feb 16, 2022. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i5.1702
Aseptic abscess in the abdominal wall accompanied by monoclonal gammopathy simulating the local recurrence of rectal cancer: A case report
Yan Yu, Yong-Dong Feng, Chao Zhang, Ran Li, De-An Tian, Huan-Jun Huang
Yan Yu, De-An Tian, Huan-Jun Huang, Department of Gastroenterology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China
Yong-Dong Feng, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China
Chao Zhang, Institute of Pathology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China
Ran Li, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China
Author contributions: Yu Y, Huang HJ, and Feng YD were the patient’s doctors; Yu Y reviewed the literature and contributed to manuscript drafting; Yu Y, Feng YD, and Tian DA conducted the data analyses and interpretation; Li R and Zhang C performed the microbiological and pathological analyses and interpretation, and contributed to manuscript drafting; Huang HJ was responsible for revising the manuscript for important intellectual content; all authors issued final approval for the version to be submitted.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Huan-Jun Huang, MD, Additional Professor, Department of Gastroenterology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, No. 1095 Jiefang Road, Wuhan 430030, Hubei Province, China. ttkxbbmm2013@yeah.net
Received: September 21, 2021
Peer-review started: September 21, 2021
First decision: December 2, 2021
Revised: December 7, 2021
Accepted: December 31, 2021
Article in press: December 31, 2021
Published online: February 16, 2022
Processing time: 143 Days and 5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Infectious abscesses in the abdominal wall can be secondary to retained foreign bodies (e.g., stones, use of artificial mesh, use of silk yarn in surgical suture), inflammatory diseases (e.g., acute appendicitis), and perforated malignancies of the digestive tract (particularly the colon). Aseptic abscesses (AAs) are relatively rare. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of an AA in the abdominal wall accompanied by monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) at 5 years after laparoscopic proctectomy.

CASE SUMMARY

A 72-year-old female patient presented with an enlarged painless mass in the lower abdomen for 1 year. She had a history of obesity, diabetes, and MGUS. Her surgical history was laparoscopic resection for rectal cancer 6 years prior, followed by chemotherapy. She was afebrile. Abdominal examination revealed a smooth abdomen with a clinically palpable solid mass under a laparotomy scar in the left lower quadrant. No obvious tenderness or skin redness was spotted. Laboratory data were not remarkable. Computed tomography scan revealed a low-density mass of 4.8 cm in diameter in the lower abdominal wall, which showed high uptake on positron emission tomography. The preoperative diagnosis was an abscess or tumor, and surgical resection was recommended. The mass was confirmed to be an AA by microbiological and pathological examinations. The patient recovered well after surgery. There was no evidence of recurrence 2 years later.

CONCLUSION

It is important to consider underlying conditions (diabetes, chemotherapy, MGUS) which may contribute to AA formation in the surgical wound.

Keywords: Aseptic abscess; Monoclonalgammopathy of undetermined significance; Abdominal wall; Rectal cancer; Laparoscopic resection; Case report

Core Tip: We report a case of aseptic abscess (AA) in the abdominal wall accompanied by monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) at 5 years after laparoscopic proctectomy. This case report describes the clinical characteristics, laboratory findings, computed tomography images, and treatment, and discusses the possible relationship between AAs and a medical history that includes past surgery, MGUS, diabetes, or chemotherapy.