CASE REPORT PYODERMA GANGRENOSUM FOLLOWING LAPAROTOMY A DIAGNOSTIC CHALLENGE

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare, non-infectious inflammatory neutrophilic dermatosis characterized by rapidly progressive painful ulcerations, often associated with systemic auto immune diseases such as IBD1. It can also be associated with solid tumors and hematologic malignancies2.It is neither an infectious disease nor a gangrenous disease as suggested by its name but an autoimmune disease caused by an abnormal immune response, neutrophil dysfunction3.The condition poses diagnostic challenges due to its resemblance to infectious or vascular ulcers with absence of any pathognomonic featureexcept presence of neutrophile infiltration on skin biopsy. It is usually a diagnosis of exclusion.Any skin trauma, such as a surgical incision, can trigger an outbreak of lesions4.Early recognition and management by steroids and anti-inflammatory drugs are the mainstay in management.