Summary
A 57 year-old man with a history of corticosteroid use presented with abdominal pain
and diarrhoea. He was initially treated for presumed Clostridium difficile colitis, but later developed a left inguinal mass with spreading erythema. A CT scan
showed gas within the retroperitoneal tissues, with surgical emphysema of the left
groin. Necrotising fasciitis was diagnosed, and the patient underwent extensive debridement
of the left thigh and inguinal region. The femoral vein was covered in infected fascia
in the femoral canal, and a laparotomy revealed a posterior perforation of the sigmoid
colon. Necrotising fasciitis of the thigh is a rare complication of colonic perforation.
Our case highlights the femoral canal as a potential channel for the spread of intra-abdominal
infection into the thigh.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 27, 2012
Accepted:
April 4,
2012
Received:
February 25,
2012
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
