Postoperative Pyoderma Gangrenosum in a Patient Presenting with Acute Peripheral Artery Disease Secondary to Antiphospholipid Syndrome: A Case Report

Abstract

Haijun Wei,* Ke Wang,* Wei Huang, Yang Liu Department of Vascular Surgery, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yang Liu, Department of Vascular Surgery, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China, Email [email protected]: Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare autoinflammatory neutrophilic dermatosis clinically characterized by painful nodules, red papules or plaques that rapidly erode into ulcers. We report a 53-year-old febrile male patient with acute peripheral arterial disease who underwent transtibial amputation after failed thrombolysis. Five days after amputation, an ulcer developed around the cannulation site of the right internal jugular vein that was indicative of pathergy. The patient’s fever did not improve after surgery, and purpuric discoloration and punctate ulcers of the skin near the amputation site became apparent, leading to re-debridement. Finally, consultation with a dermatologist raised the possibility of postoperative PG, and additional laboratory tests revealed positive anticardiolipin autoantibodies consistent with antiphospholipid syndrome. The patient was treated with intravenous glucocorticosteroids and antibiotics, and the amputation wound and cannulation site ulcer were found to have healed at the 2-month follow-up. The current report raises the need for vascular surgeons to be aware of this uncommon etiology of arterial thrombosis, and the postoperative appearance of dermatosis and pathergy should alert for PG.Keywords: antiphospholipid syndrome, case report, peripheral artery disease, pyoderma gangrenosum

Keywords

• antiphospholipid syndrome
• case report
• peripheral artery disease
• pyoderma gangrenosum