A Rare Case of Spontaneous Non-Surgical Meleney's Gangrene in a Middle-Aged Female with Poorly Controlled Diabetes Mellitus

Authors

  • Dr. Amel Saleem Quaid-e-Azam Medical College Author
  • Dr. Marwa Saleem Author
  • Farwa Saleem Author
  • Dr. Tanazzam Tufail Khokhar Author
  • Dr Hala Bashir Hashmi Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63501/g1k8cb79

Keywords:

Soft tissue infections, Bacterial infections, Diabetes mellitus, Meleney’s gangrene

Abstract

Meleney's gangrene is a rare form of necrotizing fasciitis that most often arises after surgical operations or minor injuries. It is about a 52-year-old woman who had a history of poorly controlled diabetes mellitus and, without any history of surgery or trauma, developed spontaneous Meleney’s gangrene in the infraumbilical and medial thigh areas. This case highlights the need for prompt diagnosis and intensive therapy of necrotizing soft tissue infections, particularly in individuals with diabetes.

References

[1] V. Rengan, V. Duraisami, C. Ravindra, and K. Muralidharan, “A case of Meleney’s abdominal gangrene in Madras Medical College,” International Surgery Journal, vol. 6, no. 8, pp. 2963–2965, Jul. 2019, doi: 10.18203/2349-2902.ISJ20193117.

[2] A. Thwaini et al., “Fournier’s gangrene and its emergency management,” Postgrad Med J, vol. 82, no. 970, pp. 516–519, Aug. 2006, doi: 10.1136/PGMJ.2005.042069,.

[3] F. L. MELENEY, “BACTERIAL SYNERGISM IN DISEASE PROCESSES: WITH A CONFIRMATION OF THE SYNERGISTIC BACTERIAL ETIOLOGY OF A CERTAIN TYPE OF PROGRESSIVE GANGRENE OF THE ABDOMINAL WALL,” Ann Surg, vol. 94, no. 6, pp. 961–981, Dec. 1931, doi: 10.1097/00000658-193112000-00001.

[4] J. Pandiaraja, “An Extensive Anterior Abdominal Wall Meleney’s Gangrene Following Bull Gore Injury,” Amrita Journal of Medicine, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 143–145, Oct. 2021, doi: 10.4103/AMJM.AMJM_31_21.

[5] R. Babatunde Olaniyi, A. Omagbeitse Henry, O. Babatunde Ajayi, R. Olalekan Oladipupo, O. Blessing Oluwatosin, and A. Olakunle John, “Gynaecological Near-Miss from Meleney’s Gangrene Post-Abdominal Myomectomy: A Case Report,” Obstet Gynaecol Cases Rev, vol. 7, no. 5, Oct. 2020, doi: 10.23937/2377-9004/1410176.

[6] Dr. N. S. T. R. Dr. B. Sankararaman1*, “View of MELENEY’S GANGRENE: REPORT OF A CASE AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE.,” 2023, Accessed: Aug. 07, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://jptcp.com/index.php/jptcp/article/view/2757/2758

[7] P. Nichkaode and S. Haval, “Unmasking the Silent Threat: Meleney’s Synergistic Gangrene in a Healthy Young Woman Without Predisposing Factors,” Cureus, vol. 16, no. 7, Jul. 2024, doi: 10.7759/CUREUS.63849.

[8] F. Bilgen, A. Ural, and M. Bekerecioglu, “Progressive bacterial synergistic gangrene (Meleney’s gangrene): A rare case,” J Wound Care, vol. 34, no. Sup2a, pp. xix–xxi, Feb. 2025, doi: 10.12968/JOWC.2020.0119,.

[9] A. Sharma, V. K. Katiyar, S. K. Tiwary, P. Kumar, and A. K. Khanna, “Meleney’s Gangrene of the Abdomen Managed With Serial Debridement and Negative Pressure Wound Therapy: A Case Report,” Cureus, vol. 16, no. 9, Sep. 2024, doi: 10.7759/CUREUS.68440.

[10] S. Ahmed, N. Maharjan, and N. Hirachan, “Meleney’s gangrene managed with a single extensive debridement and resultant defect closure with abdominoplasty technique - a case report,” Ann Med Surg (Lond), vol. 86, no. 3, pp. 1711–1715, Mar. 2024, doi: 10.1097/MS9.0000000000001727.

[11] A. E. Kitabchi, G. E. Umpierrez, J. M. Miles, and J. N. Fisher, “Hyperglycemic Crises in Adult Patients With Diabetes,” Diabetes Care, vol. 32, no. 7, p. 1335, Jul. 2009, doi: 10.2337/DC09-9032.

[12] A. L. McCall, “Insulin therapy and hypoglycemia,” Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am, vol. 41, no. 1, pp. 57–87, Mar. 2012, doi: 10.1016/J.ECL.2012.03.001.

Downloads

Published

2025-09-25

Issue

Section

⁠Case Report

Similar Articles

1-10 of 25

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.