Improvement of Therapy Outcomes after Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in a Patient with Acne inversa

Treatment of acne inversa (also known as hidradenitis suppurativa) is complicated and chronic. This debilitating, inflammatory disease of the follicular sacks affects mostly young adults and has a strong negative impact on their quality of life. We present a case of a 28 year old woman with a history of acne inversa of Hurley grade 2 for 6 years. Patient underwent surgical excision of the skin of the left inguinum followed by negative pressure therapy dressings for 2 and a half weeks (5 dressing changes). This allowed a full closure of the wound after 12 weeks and formation of a well accepted scar. Patient’s pain decreased from 4.5 to 1.5 according to visual assessment scale. We also noted a 28 point decrease in disease severity score according to Sartorius scale and a 19 point decrease in Dermatology Life Quality Index. Two years prior admission patient had undergone surgical treatment of her right inguinum with split thickness skin grafting, which healed for 26 weeks and yielded less satisfactory results. Comparison photographs of both treatment results are presented. Keywords—Acne inversa, Hidradenitis suppurativa, Negative Pressure Wound Therapy