Postgrad Med J: first published as 10.1136/pgmj.59.689.191 on 1 March 1983. Downloaded from http://pmj.bmj.com/ on April 26, 2023 by guest.

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Postgraduate Medical Journal (March 1983) 59, 191-193

Staphylococcal suppurative mesenteric lymphadenitis

S. K. JAIN S. K. KHANNA
M.S. M.S., F.I.C.S., F.A.C.S.
Department of General Surgery, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh-160012,
India

Summary grade fever, constipation and awareness of a mass in

Two young adult males presenting with suppurative the left upper abdomen.
mesenteric lymphadenitis, caused by coagulase posi- On examination, he was toxic and febrile. He had a
tive staphylococcus, with unusual clinical findings are tender, firm lump 8 x 6 cm which was pulsatile, with
reported. Pre-operative and operative differential restricted mobility in the left hypochondrium. There
diagnosis and management are discussed. Previous was no hepatosplenomegaly
publications are briefly reviewed. The condition is Investigations showed haemoglobin was 11-75 g/dl
extremely rare in adults and the pathogenesis is not and white blood cell count 9 8 x 109/litre with 71 %
well understood. neutrophils. Blood culture was sterile. Chest X-ray,
intravenous pyelography and barium meal were
essentially normal.

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KEY WORDS: Staphylococcus, mesenteric lymphadenitis.
The pre-operative diagnosis was of perigastric
abscess or mycotic aneurysm of splenic artery, and
the patient was explored by a mid-line vertical supra-
Introduction umbilical incision.
There was a soft lymph node mass, 14 x 10 cm, in
Non-specific mesenteric lymphadenitis is one of the root of the mesentery near the duodeno-jejunal
the common causes of acute abdominal pain in flexure, containing 150 ml of creamy pus which was
children, although rarely seen in adults. Suppuration drained. Biopsy was taken from the abscess wall and
and abscess formation is not common. Very few cases the cavity was closed with interrupted catgut sutures.
have been reported in the world literature. Strepto- Other mesenteric lymph nodes were discrete, firm
coccus haemolyticus is the commonest organism and enlarged. Lymph node biopsy was taken and the
responsible for suppuration and abscess formation. abdomen was closed without drainage. Culture
However, other organisms have also been the culprits revealed coagulase-positive Staphylococcus sensitive
occasionally. to chloramphenicol, tetracycline, erythromycin, gen-
Coagulase positive staphylococcus has been cul- tamicin and methicillin.
tured from only 5 patients suffering from acute Histological examination showed non-specific or-
mesenteric lymphadenitis so far in previous publica- ganizing inflammation of the abscess and non-
tions. There is only a solitary case report in a child, specific reactive lymph adenitis with sinus histiocyto-
where it was the cause for actual pus formation along SiS.
with Streptococcus haemolyticus. We are reporting 2 Postoperatively, the patient was given chloram-
young adults who had staphylococcal suppurative phenicol and erythromycin for 2 weeks, but was
mesenteric lymphadenitis. readmitted 2 months later with small bowel obstruc-
tion. Exploration revealed one litre of blood-stained
Case reports fluid in the peritoneal cavity and a tight band,
causing volvulus and gangrene of 4 feet of ileum.
Case 1 Resection of the gangrenous ileum, appendix and
An 18-year-old male was admitted with a 5 days caecum en masse and end-to-end ileo-ascending
history of left hypochondriac pain, vomiting, high colon anastomosis was done. The previous mass of
suppurative lymph nodes in the mesentery had
almost disappeared. Postoperative course was un-
Reprint requests to Dr S. K. Khanna. eventful and the patient remains well 3 years later.
0032-5473/83/0300-0191 $02.00 © 1983 The Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine
 Postgrad Med J: first published as 10.1136/pgmj.59.689.191 on 1 March 1983. Downloaded from http://pmj.bmj.com/ on April 26, 2023 by guest. Protected by
192 Clinical reports
Case 2 tuberculosis, lymphoma or regional enteritis. How-
A 22-year-old male was admitted with a 7 day ever, the finding of necrotic lymph nodes containing
history of abdominal pain, low grade fever, loss of pus distinguishes the condition.
appetite and awareness of a lump in the abdomen. Recommended management has been drainage,
On examination, he was ill-looking and febrile. culture and subsequently suitable antibiotics. Appen-
Abdominal examination revealed a firm, mildly dicectomy has also been advocated, but the rationale
tender, mobile left para-umbilical mass 10x6 cm. is not clear (Asch et al. 1968; Herrington, 1962;
Another firm mass, 4 x 3 cm, was felt in the left Domingo et al., 1975). Prognosis is good with proper
lumbar region. There was no hepato-splenomegaly. drainage and antibiotics.
Investigations showed haemoglobin was 10 2 g/dl In mesenteric adenitis, organisms isolated in cul-
and white blood cell count 15 x 109/litre with 82% ture include E. coli, Bacteroides, Clostridia sp.,
neutrophils. Chest X-ray, intravenous pyelography Enterococci, beta-haemolytic Streptococcus, Staphy-
and barium enema studies were unremarkable. lococcus aureus and Yersinia (Collins, 1936; Dudley
One week after admission, the patient developed and Maclaren, 1956; Asch et al., 1968; Domingo et
high grade fever, the abdominal pain increased in al., 1975). Suppuration, however, has been uncom-
intensity and he had vomiting. He became toxic and mon and whenever reported, has been mostly caused
the para-umbilical mass became prominent and by beta-haemolytic Streptococcus (Asch et al., 1968).
tender. The white blood cell count was S. aureus has been cultured on a few occasions
24 6 x 109/litre with 83% neutrophils. Emergency (McDonald, 1965; Poslethwatt, Self and Batchelar,
exploration was carried out by a mid-line vertical 1942; Mckechnie and Priestley, 1937), but in only one
supra-umbilical abdominal incision. There was a case was it responsible for suppuration and then in
lymph node mass, 12 x 8 cm, in the root of mesentery association with beta-haemolytic Streptococcus (Asch
lying over the major vessels with softening at one et al. 1968). The route of entry of bacteria into the
place, containing 30-40 ml of creamy pus, which was mesenteric nodes can be either via lymphatics or
drained. Biopsy was taken from the wall of the blood stream (Collins, 1976; Maule and Sachotello,
abscess cavity and it was closed with interrupted 1974) but the pathogenesis, however, is not well

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catgut. A further biopsy was taken from another understood.
lymph node mass at the root of the mesentery almost Our patients were both young adults who pre-
continuous with the main mass and the abdomen was sented with a tender left-sided abdominal mass for
closed without any drain. Pus culture revealed a full which neither clinically nor on investigation could a
sensitive coagulase positive Staphylococcus. Histo- definite diagnosis be made. S. aureus was isolated in
logy revealed non-specific inflammation. both from the large amount of pus that was drained.
The patient was treated with penicillin and gen- There was no clinical evidence of a depressed
tamicin, and later erythromycin. He had an unevent- immune response and the outcome of drainage and
ful postoperative recovery and 2 months later was antibiotics was excellent. The unusual features in our
symptom-free. The abdominal masses were no longer patients were therefore the age, the suppuration of
palpable. mesenteric lymph nodes near the duodeno-jejunal
flexure without the involvement of the ileo-caecal
Discussion area, the finding of a large amount of pus and
isolation of the S. aureus alone on culture.
Mesenteric lymphadenitis is a well established
clinical entity (McDonald, 1965). It has been classi-
fied into acute, chronic, acute fulminating and References
suppurative varieties (Rosenberg, 1937). Although ASCH, M.J., AMOURY, R.A., TOULOUKIAN, R.J. & SANTULLI, T.V.
acute mesenteric adenitis is a relatively common (1968) Suppurative mesenteric lymphadenitis. American Journal
ocurrence, the fact that in rare instances the lymph of Surgery, 115, 570.
nodes can suppurate and form abscesses is not well COLLINS, D.G. (1936) Mesenteric lymphadenitis in adolescents
simulating appendicitis. Canadian Medical Association Journal,
known (Asch et a., 1968; Herrington, 1962; Domingo 34, 402.
et al. 1975). DOMINGO, T., ALVEAR, T. & KAIN, M. (1975) Suppurative mesen-
Even though the first reported case was an adult teric lymphadenitis, a forgotten clinical entity: report of two cases.
(Mitchell, 1913), the majority of subsequently re- Journal of Paediatric Surgery, 19(6), 969.
DUDLEY, H.A.F. & MACLAREN, I.F. (1956) Primary mesenteric
ported patients have been children (Asch et a., 1968). abscess. Lancet, ii, 1182.
Clinical presentation mimics acute appendicitis with HERRINGTON, J.L. (1962) Acute suppurative mesenteric lymphaden-
or without perforation. Operative findings generally itis. American Surgeon, 35, 405.
reveal intense inflammatory reaction in the ileo- MAULE, K.I. & SACHOTELLO, C.R. (1974) Retroperitoneal fossa-
abscess. American Journal of Surgery, 127, 270.
caecal area with omental adhesions and periappendi- MEKECHNIE, R.E. & PRIESTLEY, J.T. (1937) Mesenteric lymphadeni-
citis which can be confused with acute appendicitis, tis, Minnesota Medicine, 20, 370.
 Postgrad Med J: first published as 10.1136/pgmj.59.689.191 on 1 March 1983. Downloaded from http://pmj.bmj.com/ on April 26, 2023 by guest. Protected by
Clinical reports 193
MITCHELL, O.W.H. (1913) Acute suppurative lymphadenitis ab- POSLETHWATT, R.W., SELF, W.O. & BATCHELAR, E.P. (1942) Non-
dominal, due to diplostreptococcus: autopsy. American Journal of specific mesenteric lymphadenitis. American Journal of Surgery,
the Medical Sciences, 114, 721. 57, 304.
McDONALD, J.C. (1965) Non-specific mesenteric lymphadenitis. ROSENBERG, S. (1937) Non-specific mesenteric lymphadenitis.
International Abstracts of Surgery, 116, 409. Archives of Surgery, 35, 1031-1044.
(Accepted 28 June 1982)

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