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Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is an inflammatory disorder of the skin that may occur spontaneously or following injury to the skin (pathergy), sometimes associated with planned surgery. PG has been reported following breast surgery and is often misdiagnosed as an infection. Debridement often worsens the process, but successful therapy includes pharmacotherapy and surgical repair.
In a systematic literature review, these authors identified 49 patients from 44 reports of PG following breast surgery (average age, 43). The median time from surgery to PG development was 6 days. PG was accompanied by fever in 55% and by a leukocytosis in 43%. Wound cultures in 41 patients were negative in 83%; the remaining 17% were positive for bacteria or fungus, in…