Sonographic Evaluation of Hidradenitis Suppurativa with Smartphone-Linked Portable Ultrasound

Abstract

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Clinical staging systems for hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) have poor interrater reliability and may underestimate disease activity. Sonographic staging systems may overcome these challenges, but conventional ultrasound (US) machines are expensive and bulky. Portable (p)US may facilitate the integration of sonography into routine practice. <b><i>Objectives:</i></b> To assess the ability of a novel smartphone-linked pUS device to identify key sonographic lesions of HS. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The charts of 16 patients with HS who were assessed with pUS at the outpatient Dermatology and Wound Care Clinics of a university hospital center were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical and sonographic images of the affected areas were examined. The main outcome measures were the number of patients with identifiable sonographic lesions and the number of patients with subclinical lesions detected by pUS. <b><i>Results:</i></b> All 3 key sonographic lesions of HS were identifiable with pUS. Sonographic lesions were identified in 10 patients (62.5%). Subclinical lesions were identified in 2 patients (12.5%); in both cases, this affected management decisions. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> We demonstrate the ability of pUS to identify the key sonographic lesions of HS. pUS is a simple and affordable way to integrate HSUS into clinical and research settings, with clear potential benefits to patients.