A case of nicolau syndrome

Nicolau syndrome is a rare adverse reaction of the skin at the site of intramuscular drug injection, and has largely unidentified pathogenesis. It consists of the development of an acute, severe pain and a localized erythematous rash during intramuscular injection leading to cutaneous, subcutaneous and even muscular necrosis. We report a case of a 55-year-old woman who presented with a painful skin necrosis in her buttocks following an intramuscular diclofenac-beta-dimethyl-aminoethanol injection.