Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2025 Apr 8;17(4):e81905.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.81905. eCollection 2025 Apr.

Fournier's Gangrene Secondary to Acute Perforated Appendicitis

Adeoye Debo-Aina  1 , Abigail Hardy  2 , Alexander Martindale  3 , Kayah Wilks  4 , Rizwan Ahmed  5 , Sonia Mason  6 , Tarun Singhal  7 , Nkwam Nkwam  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Fournier's Gangrene Secondary to Acute Perforated Appendicitis

Adeoye Debo-Aina et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Fournier's gangrene (FG) is a life-threatening multi-aetiological and polymicrobial infective necrosis of the external genitalia, perineum, and peri-anal regions. Early recognition and aggressive multidisciplinary medical and surgical management are essential to reduce long-term morbidity and mortality. Acute appendicitis is a rare cause of FG. Here, we report the management of a 90-year-old man presenting atypically with a perforated appendicitis resulting in FG.

Keywords: atypical appendicitis; fournier gangrene; necrotising fasciitis; right inguinal hernia; right-sided hemicolectomy; debridement.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Erythematous right hemiscrotum with observed skin necrosis and purulent discharge at the site of skin break.
Figure 2
Figure 2. (a) Right testis: ruptured tunica vaginalis, with flaccid necrosed right testis. (b) Hernial sac content containing cecum and a perforated appendix (marked with an arrow).
Figure 3
Figure 3. (a) Right hemiscrotum, post-surgical debridement and right orchidectomy. (b) Postoperative right hemicolectomy and primary anastomosis. (c) Right open inguinal hernia repair.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Postoperative relook debridement and wound closure.
Figure 5
Figure 5. (a) Right hemiscrcotum following drain removal. Abdominal wound (b) and right inguinal hernia repair (c) following the removal of surgical clips.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Fournier's gangrene. Shyam DC, Rapsang AG. Surgeon. 2013;11:222–232. - PubMed
    1. A case of Fournier's gangrene in a young immunocompetent male patient resulting from a delayed diagnosis of appendicitis. Wanis M, Nafie S, Mellon JK. J Surg Case Rep. 2016;2016:0. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Leslie SW, Rad J, Foreman J. Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing; 2025. Fournier Gangrene. - PubMed
    1. Fournier's gangrene. A clinical review. Singh A, Ahmed K, Aydin A, Khan MS, Dasgupta P. Arch Ital Urol Androl. 2016;88:157–164. - PubMed
    1. Signs, symptoms and diagnosis of necrotizing fasciitis experienced by survivors and family: a qualitative Nordic multi-center study. Erichsen Andersson A, Egerod I, Knudsen VE, Fagerdahl AM. BMC Infect Dis. 2018;18:429. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources