Diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of Fournier’s gangrene in Africa: a scoping review protocol

• Published in: Journal of surgical protocols and research methodologies 2024-07, Vol.2024 (3)
• Main Authors: Nedjim, Saleh Abdelkerim, Biyouma, Marcella D.C, Mahamat, Mahamat Ali, Kalli, Moussa, Kouldjim, Adoumadji, Remadji, Herve Yanhdet, Salissou, Kaka A, Seid, Younouss, Owon'abessolo, Philip Fernandez, Mah, Sarah Diaby, Ndiath, Abdoulaye, Fouda, Jean Cedrick, Jacquet, Djamal, Ndoye, Medina, Ouchemi, Choua, Aboutaieb, Rachid
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Care and treatment; Diagnosis; Gangrene; Prognosis
• ISSN: 2752-616X; 2752-616X
• DOI: 10.1093/jsprm/snae011

Fournier’s gangrene is a rare necrotizing soft-tissue infection affecting the perineal, perianal and genital regions. It constitutes a genuine medical, surgical and urological emergency. Despite a better understanding of the etiology and pathophysiology of Fournier’s gangrene, mortality rates reported in the literature remain high. Still very common in Africa, it seems to occur mainly during hot, dry months and particularly affects people of low socio-economic status. This explains why the diagnosis is often made at a late stage. To our knowledge, there is no literature evaluating the epidemiology, clinical presentation, management and prognosis of Fournier’s gangrene in Africa, necessitating a review of the scope. This literature review protocol describes how the authors intend to study the available data on the presentation, management and prognosis of Fournier’s gangrene in Africa. Databases such as PubMed/Medline, Embase, Google Scholar and African Journal Online will be searched for articles published on Fournier’s gangrene in Africa and covering clinical, therapeutic and prognostic outcomes. The sociodemographic profile of all included studies will be examined. Results will include epidemiological, clinico-biological, severity score, management and prognostic data. Based on the analyzed results, the various parameters linked to the specific objectives of the African and non-African studies will be discussed and compared. This discussion will focus on clinical presentation, management and prognosis. This scoping review will be the first to address this research question, which has yet to be reported serially by African authors.