[Tissue necrosis: a side effect of sodium diclofenac: report of cases and discussion of the physiopathology].

Diclofenac sodium is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory widely used drug both in the treatment of the rheumatic diseases and as analgesic. The fact that is a potent analgesic spread its use to almost all fields in medicine, increasing the reports of adverse effects associated with it. The main complications reported are gastrointestinal, dermatological and of the central nervous system. The authors present seven cases that developed tissue necrosis as a result of the intramuscular injection of diclofenac sodium. Because of the low incidence or this adverse effect, a review is carried out and the physiopathologic mechanisms likely to be involved are discussed. Our aim is to warn against the indiscriminate intramuscular use of this drug.