Necrotizing abdominal wall infection along a prior drain pathway: A case report and literature review

We report the case of a 37-year-old female with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes mellitus with an HbA1c of 106 mmol/mol who developed a necrotizing abdominal wall infection at the site of a prior percutaneous drain insertion for tubo-ovarian abscesses. The patient presented with recurrent flank pain, cellulitis, and a systemic inflammatory response, with imaging findings highly suspicious for necrotizing infection, which was confirmed at surgical exploration. Emergency surgical debridement, critical care support, and antibiotic therapy were required. This case highlights the need for awareness surrounding the rarity of a necrotizing infection along interventional radiology drain pathways, and we review the relevant literature.