Abstract

Introduction: Fournier’s gangrene is a synchronous fasciitis of the perineum and the genitalia. Being a life-threatening condition, it needs an urgent diagnosis and treatment. Diabetes and poor hygiene are predisposing factors. The mortality is reduced with early diagnosis, multiple and aggressive debridements and administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Retroperitoneal necrotizing fasciitis is another form of the disease with rare occurrence but which is almost uniformly lethal. The lack of external clinical signs, the absence of anatomical barriers and the presence of coexisting conditions make the entity difficult to diagnose and to treat.

Materials and Methods: We present a case of retroperitoneal necrotizing fasciitis, developed following a perforated appendicitis, which presented with an acute scrotum. The patient was finally lost from septicemia.

Conclusion: Acute scrotum is a frequent clinical picture in urological practice. We wanted to emphasize that in such a patient, retroperitoneal necrotizing fasciitis should also be considered in the differential diagnosis. Although very rare, its prognosis is very poor.