[Fournier's gangrene--our experience with 17 patients]

Fournier's gangrene (FG) is a rare form of the skin and subcutaneous tissue bacterial infection characterized clinically by rapid progression and significant mortality, patohistologically by extensive necrosis of supeficial and deep facial planes and epidemiologically by predilection to patients with diabetes, immunosupression, malignant diseases or other debilitating state. In our retrospective study, we analyze 17 patients with FG hospitalised in our hospital in the 16-year period. Mean age of the patients was 58.9, and female-to-male ratio was 1:16. Among the predisposing factors diabetes mellitus (41.2%) and malignant diseases (29.4%) were the most common. Average length of hospital stay was 36 days (2-81) with lethality of 41.2% (7 patients). We assessed no statistical significance of the analysed prognostic parameters. In conclusion, we emphasize that FG is a surgical emergency and we express our impression that lack of physicians' experience is the main factor leading to delay in diagnosis and treatment of this rare, but life threatening disease.