Delayed stoma formation in Fournier's gangrene.

Fournier's gangrene is traditionally treated with prompt surgical debridement and in many cases a diverting colostomy is also fashioned during the same procedure. We present four cases where stoma formation was delayed until the second look procedure. The physiological states at the time of either procedure were compared using POSSUM. The results showed an improvement in the physiological condition in all patients at the time of the second operation, suggesting that a delay can potentially improve prognosis in such cases.