Necrotizing Fasciitis Following Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus in an Immunocompromised Patient

• Main Authors: Grazia Maria Cozzupoli, Daniele Gui, Valerio Cozza, Claudio Lodoli, Mariano Alberto Pennisi, Aldo Caporossi, Benedetto Falsini
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hindawi Limited 2019-01-01
• Series: Case Reports in Ophthalmological Medicine
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2019/4534153

Necrotizing fasciitis (NF) is a rare infection that spreads rapidly along the subcutaneous soft tissue planes. NF rarely involves the periorbital region due to the excellent blood supply of this region. We report a case of periorbital necrotising fasciitis following herpes zoster (HZ) in an immunocompromised 70-year-old patient with a dramatically rapid evolution into septic shock. In our patient, the surprisingly rapid spread of the bacterial superinfection led the periorbital cellulitis to turn into frank NF within 2 hours, with an overwhelming evolution. Despite the prompt start of a systemic antibiotic therapy and the immediate surgical intervention, the patient had a septic shock; she was treated in ITU for 31 days and then discharged to a medical ward and eventually died for a mix of complications of the medical treatment and comorbidities. This case is unique because any documented cases of periorbital NF triggered by HZ had never led to a septic shock and death. Ophthalmologists should be aware that even common skin lesions caused by shingles can determine a dramatic clinical picture, in presence of predisposing factors.