High-frequency ultrasound as a non-invasive tool in predicting early hidradenitis suppurativa fistulization in comparison with the Hurley system

Advanced Doppler Ultrasound Insights: A Multicenter Prospective Study on Healthy Skin

Background: There have been multiple studies on the use of Doppler ultrasound to define skin inflammation, but the visible vessels of healthy skin have yet to be described. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the visible vessels of healthy skin using Doppler ultrasound. Methods: Prospective multicenter study using Doppler ultrasound to analyze healthy skin. The color percentage, flow velocity, and maximum vessel diameter were calculated. Results: 943 images from 152 patients were recorded. The most frequently used mode was color Doppler (40.6%), followed by power Doppler (30.4%). Visible vessels were detected in 18.23%; in positive Doppler images, color occupied less than 5%. The malar region exhibited the highest visible vessels. The 22 MHz probe detected smaller vessels with slower flows than the 18 MHz probe. Spectral Doppler showed peak systolic values of less than 10 cm/s and a vessel diameter of less than 1 mm. In most of the participating centers, the operators had less than 10 years of experience in performing skin ultrasound examinations. Sensitivity of the Doppler may vary according to the device. Conclusions: With the used ultrasound equipment, it was uncommon to visualize vessels in healthy skin. When seen, they covered less than 5% of the image with low flow and small size.

Essentials of hidradenitis suppurativa: a comprehensive review of diagnostic and treatment perspectives

Hidradenitis suppurativa, or acne inversa, is a chronic inflammatory skin condition with recurrent inflammatory nodules, abscesses, subcutaneous tracts, and scars. This condition may cause severe psychological distress and reduce the quality of life for affected individuals. It is considered to have one of the most damaging effects on quality of life of any skin disorder as a result of the discomfort and foul-smelling discharge from these lesions. Although the pathophysiology of HS is still unclear, multiple factors, including lifestyle, genetic, and hormonal factors, have been associated with it. The pathogenesis of HS is very complex and has wide clinical manifestations; thus, it is quite challenging to manage and often requires the use of combination treatments that must be tailored according to disease severity and other patient-specific factors. Although lifestyle changes, weight loss, quitting smoking, topical treatments, and oral antibiotics are adequate for mild cases, the challenge for healthcare professionals is dealing with moderate-to-severe HS, which often does not respond well to traditional approaches. This literature review, consisting of an overview of the various assessment tools and therapy strategies available for the diagnosis and treatment of HS from published literature, aims to be a guide for practicing clinicians in dealing with the complexities associated with this disease.

Role of Color Doppler Ultrasound in Cutaneous Inflammatory Conditions

Inflammatory cutaneous diseases can be challenging to diagnose and manage. Nowadays, the anatomical information provided by ultrasound is critical for detecting subclinical alterations and assessing the severity and activity of these conditions. Many of these entities can be clinically observed in dermatology and other specialties, such as rheumatology, plastic surgery, ophthalmology, and otolaryngology, among others. We review the ultrasonographic patterns of the most common inflammatory cutaneous conditions. In several cases, such as hidradenitis suppurativa, acne, and morphea, there are ultrasonographic staging systems of severity or activity that are pivotal in the management of these diseases. The early ultrasonographic diagnosis of these entities implies a proper management of the patients and, therefore, improve their quality of life. Thus, knowledge of the current use of ultrasound in this field seems essential.

Update on Ultrasound Diagnostic Criteria and New Ultrasound Severity and Activity Scorings of Hidradenitis Suppurativa: Modified SOS-HS and US-HSA

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a devasting autoimmune cutaneous disease that affects the hair follicles and can clinically present palpable nodules, abscesses, and tunnels (fistulas), usually in the intertriginous regions. It has been widely reported that color Doppler ultrasound can detect subclinical abnormalities and stage the severity of the disease more accurately. Nevertheless, the ultrasound diagnostic criteria were reported with 15 MHz 10 years ago, and now it is possible to detect early anatomical abnormalities in HS using 70 MHz. Thus, an update of the ultrasonographic diagnostic criteria is needed. The most widely used sonographic staging of severity of HS (SOS-HS) includes the number of affected regions, besides counting the number of key lesions like pseudocysts, fluid collections, and tunnels; however, the total number of affected regions may fit better in an activity scoring. Furthermore, a high number of tunnels or communicated tunnels can complicate the management and may indicate an even more urgent treatment, which should be considered in the severity classification. To date, no hidradenitis scoring of activity has been reported in the literature, making it difficult to track the degree of inflammation under treatment objectively. Therefore, two new scorings are proposed. The first is an updated sonographic scoring of severity called modified SOS-HS (mSOS-HS), and the second is an activity ultrasound scoring of HS called US-HSA. Both staging systems can provide better anatomical information for discriminating the categories and, therefore, selecting more appropriate treatments and supporting research and clinical trials by giving more objective anatomical tools in real-world settings.

The role of imaging technologies in the diagnosis of hidradenitis suppurativa

Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic, inflammatory, recurrent, and debilitating disease of the hair follicle. It presents with painful, deep-seated, inflamed lesions, such as nodules, abscesses, sinus tracts, and fistulas, generally located in the main folds. Clinical severity assessment alone can be reductive; noninvasive skin imaging technologies, such as ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, medical infrared thermography, computed tomography, and positron emission tomography, provide subclinical anatomical and functional details. These instrumental techniques confirm the clinical suspect, thus allowing an earlier diagnosis and improving patients' clinical evaluation, staging, and management. Finally, they might be helpful for preoperative mapping. In this contribution, we provide an overview of the current knowledge about noninvasive skin imaging techniques with a particular focus on ultrasonography, which is widely used thanks to its precision, versatility, and availability.

Understanding Hurley Stage III Hidradenitis Suppurativa Patients' Experiences With Pain: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

BACKGROUND

More than 90% of patients with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) report that pain interferes with their quality of life (QoL) and pain may have a larger impact on QoL than disease severity alone.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of pain on the daily lives of patients with Hurley stage III HS.

METHODS

This was a single-center, prospective cross-sectional study that was conducted at Beacon Dermatology in Calgary, AB. Patients ≥ 18 years old with Hurley stage III HS in at least one area of the body were prospectively invited to participate in this study. The study consisted of survey questions on patients' demographic information, past medical histories, HS-related pain histories, and previous therapies for pain management. Additionally, patients completed a series of standardized rating scales on their pain and overall QoL.

RESULTS

Of the 10 patients that participated in the study, 90% (9/10) expressed a desire for more counselling on pain management options. Many patients (8/10, 80%) reported routine use of over-the-counter pain medications and 70% (7/10) used complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) to manage their pain. Patients' efficacy ratings of HS treatments in controlling their pain revealed that topical treatments provided minimal or no relief, while surgical interventions had the highest efficacy for reducing pain. Patients' average worst pain over the preceding 24 hrs was 6.3 +/- 2.5 (2-9) on the Numerical Rating Scale for pain and the mean Dermatology Life Quality Index score was 19.5 +/- 8.2 (5-29).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with Hurley stage III HS report high levels of daily pain and QoL impairment and many individuals use over-the-counter treatments and CAMs to manage their pain. Physicians involved in the care of HS patients should consider implementing routine counselling on pain management into their clinical practices, especially for patients with severe HS.