title: Successful treatment of perineal necrotising fasciitis and associated pubic bone osteomyelitis with the vacuum assisted closure system.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute necrotising fasciitis is a life-threatening condition, which requires urgent surgical intervention. Surgical debridement is invariably associated with large areas of tissue loss.
  
  
  METHODS
  We present a 58-year old woman with a past history of cervical carcinoma who presented with necrotising fasciitis of the perineum and upper thighs with associated pubic bone osteomyelitis. Following extensive debridement, a Vacuum Assisted Closure (VAC) system was applied to the large residual defect to facilitate skin graft application and optimise wound healing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This case demonstrates the successful management of a complex and potentially lethal wound of the perineum with debridement, skin grafting and the VAC system.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Belfast City Hospital, Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7AB, Northern Ireland, UK. susimkumar@btinternet.com
authors.forename: Susim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: O'Donnell
authors.forename: Khalid
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Gillian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dunne
authors.forename: P Declan
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D019115:Fasciitis, Necrotizing / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D010502:Perineum / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D011630:Pubic Bone / Q000473:pathology*; D014618:Vacuum; D014945:Wound Healing