Patients report high rates of satisfaction with clinic-based surgical procedures for hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), according to a study published online Jan. 5 in JAMA Dermatology.

Saranya Ravi, Ph.D., from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients aged 12 years or older who underwent clinic-based surgical treatment of HS. Outcomes of 194 procedures for 78 patients were analyzed; patient-reported recurrence of HS at the site of surgery, patient satisfaction with the procedures and outcomes, and patient-reported pain and recovery associated with surgery were the primary outcomes.

The researchers found that the rate of recurrence was 41 percent (79 procedures). Most patients (146 procedures [76 percent]) were very satisfied with their surgical results, despite recurrence. The median number of missed days of work or school was two, and there was a median of 10 days until return to normal activity. For 65 percent of the 194 procedures, patients reported that pain during an HS flare was worse than during surgical recovery.

"Despite recurrences, patient satisfaction with procedures and outcomes remained high," the authors write. "In our experience, recurrences often result in more temporary or limited disease activity than that encountered before surgery, leading to overall benefit."

Two authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

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