title: Management of regional hidradenitis suppurativa with vacuum-assisted closure and split thickness skin grafts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hidradenitis suppurativa can be a debilitating chronic illness. The underlying cause of the disease is still not clear, but effective treatment of widespread regional disease relies on resection of all the involved skin and subcutaneous tissue. Closure of the resulting large wound is dependent on either flap or skin graft coverage. Many of the resulting wounds are too large for flap closure or result in unacceptable flap donor site deficits.
  
  
  METHODS
  We present a series of 11 patients with 24 regional disease sites treated with a protocol of excision, followed by wound vacuum-assisted closure (VAC; KCI, San Antonio, TX) therapy to stimulate angiogenesis of exposed fat, and then skin grafting with the use of VAC to support the grafts on the recipient sites.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 3 of the patients required regrafting. One patient had a VAC failure because of poor patient compliance, and 1 patient had 4 sites that each required regrafting as the epithelium would not fill in the residual open areas as it usually did in other patients. All patients were cured of their local disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Massive regional hidradenitis suppurativa can be successfully managed with wide excision, VAC therapy, and skin grafting to allow these patients to live normal and productive lives.
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC 29203, USA.
authors.forename: Elliott
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Harold I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Friedman
mesh_terms: D017497:Hidradenitis Suppurativa / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D054843:Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016038:Skin Transplantation; D016896:Treatment Outcome