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Case Reports
. 2022 Sep 15:10:2050313X221123295.
doi: 10.1177/2050313X221123295. eCollection 2022.

Subacute necrotizing fasciitis of the posterior neck disguised as a herpes zoster infection: A case report

Samantha-Jo Wright  1 , Anwar Khedr  2 , Brian N Bartlett  1 , Abbas B Jama  2 , Hisham Mushtaq  2 , Abdul Wahab  3 , Syed Anjum Khan  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Subacute necrotizing fasciitis of the posterior neck disguised as a herpes zoster infection: A case report

Samantha-Jo Wright et al. SAGE Open Med Case Rep. .

Abstract

Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare soft tissue infection characterized by a rapidly spreading infection of the subcutaneous tissue. Early diagnosis is important as it requires immediate and complete debridement of infected tissues and antibiotic therapy. Necrotizing fasciitis usually involves the extremities, abdomen, and groin, but rarely involves the head and neck. Necrotizing fasciitis has an aggressive course; however, in rare cases, it can present in a subacute indolent form which can be misdiagnosed as other cutaneous diseases. Our case is a unique presentation of subacute necrotizing fasciitis of the posterior neck, which was initially diagnosed as a herpes zoster infection, in a patient with undiagnosed diabetes mellitus, which was complicated with diabetic ketoacidosis and sepsis.

Keywords: Necrotizing fasciitis; diabetes mellitus; herpes zoster; subacute necrotizing fasciitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Progression stages of the necrotizing fasciitis wound. (a) ulcerated, necrotic area of the posterior neck on presentation; (b) computed tomography (CT) of the soft tissue of the neck showed marked inflammation at the posterior aspect of the neck with soft tissue gas collections consistent with necrotizing fasciitis; (c) after debridement for extensive necrotizing fasciitis of the head and neck; and (d) progressive healing of the wound.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Healing necrotizing fasciitis wound.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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