2017 Volume 37 Issue 3 Pages 515-519
We report a rare case of a 64-year-old male with rectal cancer causing Founier's gangrene and progressing to septic shock. The patient visited our hospital because of diarrhea and a poor appetite. He had a high fever, and his blood data indicated a high level of inflammation. His perineum and inguinal region were remarkably swollen, and it had a grasping snow sign. A CT examination showed a widespread pneumoderma from his right femur to his trunk. A CT examination also revealed an irregular wall thickness in the rectum. A colonoscopic examination showed stenosis of the rectum as a result of a type 2 tumor. The pathological diagnosis of a biopsy specimen was adenocarcinoma. We diagnosed the patient as having rectal cancer causing Fournier's gangrene and progressing to septic shock. After intensive care for severe septic shock including the extended drainage of the gangrenous region and antibiotic therapy for 17 days, we performed an abdominoperineal resection. He was discharged without any complications at 21 days after the operation.
