Surgical treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa

Hidradenitis suppurativa is a life impairing skin disease. The treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa has been extensively discussed in the literature and remains extremely challenging. For severe cases of hidradenitis suppurativa, a multi-disciplinary approach is usually necessary, combining medical agents and surgical interventions. The surgical management varies greatly between countries, hospitals and physicians and there are very few guidelines available to guide clinical practice. This, in combination with the severity of the disease burden and considerable amount of health-care costs, makes it is a challenge to perform a surgical intervention with a low risk of recurrence and complications, as well as providing an optimal functional and aesthetic outcome.
The main aim of this thesis was to evaluate outcomes regarding recurrence, classification, complications, functional and esthetic outcomes, and patient satisfaction after surgical treatment of patients with hidradenitis suppurativa.