The Tokai journal of experimental and clinical medicine
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Tokai J. Exp. Clin. Med. · Oct 2003
Review Case ReportsA successfully treated case of severe necrotizing fasciitis caused by acute appendicitis: a case report.
We successfully saved a patient with appendicitis followed by necrotizing fascitis. A 77-year-old man with a history of ambulatory treatment for depression underwent an emergency operation because of severe abdominal pain. Laparotomy demonstrated that necrotizing appendicitis was massively extending over the abdominal cavity, involving the right paracolic sulcus and Douglas pouch and posterior surface of the right kidney. ⋯ Necrotizing fasciitis is an extremely rare complication of appendicitis, and there were only 10 cases documented. Once necrotizing fasciitis occurs, the mortality rate is high, so that correct diagnosis and prompt debridement are mandatory. Particularly for elderly patients with appendicitis, rapid and accurate diagnosis and treatment are required.