Recurrent pyoderma gangrenosum after cesarean delivery successfully treated with vacuum-assisted closure and split thickness skin graft: A case report

Abstract

We describe the case of a 32-year-old woman (gravidity: 4; parity: 2) who underwent cesarean delivery at 37 weeks of gestation and presented with dehiscence and infection of the surgical wound. She had a history of wound infection and dehiscence of the scar from a previous cesarean delivery and dehiscence in the dorsal side of her left hand at the site of intravenous catheterization. The patient was initially diagnosed with a skin infection and later with pyoderma gangrenosum. No evidence of any underlying disease was found. The lesions were treated with systemic corticosteroids and azathioprine, but the lesions were unresponsive to treatment. This complicated case of pyoderma gangrenosum after cesarean delivery, which initially mimicked wound infection, was successfully treated with vacuum-assisted closure and split-thickness skin graft. This synergistic approach with vacuum-assisted closure could be an important treatment option for aggressive and slow-healing lesions.