Necrotizing lesions of soft tissues: a review

Abstract

Necrotizing lesions of the soft tissues are grave entities not infrequently seen in daily surgical practice. They may occur with epidemic proportions after natural disasters, representing a serious challenge to the surgeon since they are characteristically associated with high mortality rates unless an early diagnosis is made and prompt aggressive surgical management is initiated. Necrotizing fasciitis is the currently accepted generic term to encompass into a single category the diverse syndromes of progressive gangrenous infections of the skin and subcutaneous tissues. Necrotizing fasciitis must be viewed as a clinical entity rather than a specific type of infection: it is a clinical infection most commonly caused by a mixed aerobic/anaerobic synergistic polymicrobial combination. Zygomycetes may appear as major causal organisms (mucormycosis) and they should be actively searched for. Initial diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis is established through the characteristic physical signs. Gram stain, and, in some doubtful cases, through frozen-section tissue biopsy. Aggressive and urgent radical debridement is the key to survival, combined with wide-spectrum antibiotic therapy.