CORTICOSTEROIDS ARE IMPORTANT IN THE TREATMENT OF FOURNIERS GANGRENE - A CASE-REPORT

Fournier's gangrene represents an acute severe necrotizing inflammator y process affecting the scrotum and penis, It has an associated mortal ity of 30-50%. In most cases, aetiological factors can be identified, such as diabetes mellitus, chronic alcoholism and perianal, perirectal or periurethral infection, The disease is characterized by a polybact erial infection, and the classic treatment includes surgical removal o f the necrotic tissue and the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. We re port a case of Fournier's gangrene, histologically characterized by a necrotizing vasculitis, in which surgical resection of the necrotic ti ssue and antibiotic treatment failed to halt progression of the diseas e, whereas complete remission was achieved by high-dose corticosteroid therapy. This suggests that Fournier's gangrene is related to some fo rm of localized vasculitis, and represents a local Shwartzman phenomen on.