Establishment of standardized definitions and a core set of outcome characteristics following hidradenitis suppurativa surgery developed by an expert Delphi consensus

Westerkam, Linnea L., van der Zee, Hessel H., Bechara, Falk G., Goldberg, Stephanie, Jemec, Gregor B., Caffrey, Julie, Chaffin, Abigail, Chiu, Ernest S., Damitz, Lynn, Daveluy, Steven, Garg, Amit, George, Ralph, Guillem, Philippe, Hamzavi, Iltefat H., Hazen, Paul G., Horvath, Barbara, Ingram, John R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5257-1142, Kirby, Joslyn S., Matusiak, Lukasz, Orenstein, Lauren A.V., Orgill, Dennis P., Pena-Robichaux, Venessa, Podda, Maurizio, Prens, Errol, Resnik, Barry, Lindhardt Saunte, Ditte Marie, Saylor, Drew K., Thorlacius, Linnea, Villumsen, Bente, Vossen, Allard R.J.V. and Sayed, Christopher J. 2025. Establishment of standardized definitions and a core set of outcome characteristics following hidradenitis suppurativa surgery developed by an expert Delphi consensus. Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology 10.1016/j.jaad.2025.08.041 Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Background Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition often requiring surgical intervention for definitive treatment. Previous studies evaluated post-surgical outcomes, but no standardization exists for collection and nomenclature for HS surgical outcomes. Objective To characterize and define surgical outcome terminology. Methods A modified Delphi protocol was used to reach consensus on data to collect and terms to describe outcomes following HS surgical procedures. A five-member steering committee created preliminary definitions and surveys which were distributed via Qualtrics to a group of international HS experts. A nine-point Likert scale was used and a score of at least 7 was needed for an item to reach agreement. Results Twenty-five dermatologists and general and plastic surgeons participated in the Delphi study. Following two rounds of surveys and feedback, the consensus terminology to describe outcomes included surgical site and regional persistence and progression. Consensus was also reached on key features to report as part of each outcome. Limitations Limitations include narrow scope and small number of participants from limited geographical areas. Conclusion Surgery persistence and progression definitions were agreed upon by a group of international HS experts. This consensus is a first step towards standardizing terminology and reporting for HS surgical outcomes.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Medicine
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0190-9622
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	28 August 2025
Date of Acceptance:	20 August 2025
Last Modified:	29 Aug 2025 10:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/180704

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