How is gangrene diagnosed?
A person should suspect gangrene if any local body area changes color (especially if it is red, blue, or black), and becomes numb or painful. If the symptoms include those stated above for either dry or wet gangrene, the individual should immediately seek medical help. The diagnosis is usually based on the clinical symptoms of either wet or dry gangrene. Often other tests are done in cases of wet gangrene to further define the infecting agent(s), the type of gangrene, and the extent of the infection. For example, X-rays, CT, or MRI studies are done to see how far gas or necrosis (or both) has progressed from the local site. These studies are often done to help determine the extent of gangrene in both limb and internal types of gangrene. Blood cultures as well as cultures of the infected tissue and exudates are usually done to determine the infective agent(s) and to determine appropriate antibiotic therapy. For dry gangrene, vascular surgeons often do angiography (a radiologic study wit
