Surgical treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa: 15 cases

Introduction. Verneuil's disease (hidradenitis suppurativa) is a chronic in flammatory, suppurating and fistulizing disease of apocrine sweat gland-bea ring skin. The aim of this study was to describe the surgical treatment, co nducted in 15 patients suffering from this disease. Patients and methods. We retrospectively analyzed 15 observations (9 men, 6 women, mean age 38.6). The mean delay between beginning of the symptoms an d diagnosis was 55.5 months. Surgery was conducted at the stage of abscesse s, fistulization and keloids in all patients. The first surgical step was w ide and deep excision of affected skin and subcutaneous fat. The second ste p was secondary intention healing, or ideal suture, Z plasty or dorsalis ma jor flap. Results. Only four patients had com plication: two axillary strictu res, on e anal margin stenosis and one hypertrophic scarring. Three relapses occurr ed, treated by excision under local anesthesia. Conclusion. Surgical treatm ent seems to be the only definitive treatment of Verneuil's disease.