Spontaneous gas gangrene of the pancreas.

A patient had gas gangrene due to spontaneous Clostridium perfringens infection of the pancreas. He had not undergone any invasive procedure. An initial laparotomy ruled out a suspected intestinal origin of his infection; lack of evidence of pancreatitis before his acute attack indicated that no superinfection was involved. We have found no other report of primary gas gangrene of the pancreas.