An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov A
.gov website belongs to an official government
organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A
lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to
the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official,
secure websites.
URL of this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002266.htm
Necrosis
Necrosis is the death of body tissue. It occurs when too little blood flows to the tissue. This can be from injury, infection, radiation, or chemicals. Necrosis cannot be reversed.
When large areas of tissue die due to a lack of blood supply, the condition is called gangrene.
Necrosis is often a medical emergency, especially if the area of tissue death is increasing rapidly.
Aster JC, Abbas AK, Kumar V, Debnath J, Das A. Cell injury, cell death, and adaptations. In: Kumar V, Abbas AK, Aster JC, eds. Robbins, Cotran & Kumar Pathologic Basis of Disease. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2026:chap 2.
Review Date 7/3/2025
Updated by: Robert Hurd, MD, Professor of Endocrinology and Health Care Ethics, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
