Work

Largest Prospective Study of CO 2 Laser Treatment in Hidradenitis Suppurativa Patients Showing Improved Quality of Life

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT Background Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) can be a difficult disease to manage, especially in patients with prominent disease. CO 2 laser can be used for the treatment of recurrent HS lesions with or without simultaneous systemic treatment. There is a lack of evidence for the validity of CO 2 laser treatment as well as the rate of complications. Objectives Our study aimed to evaluate CO 2 laser treatment on multiple aspects, including patient‐reported outcomes such as quality of life before and after treatment, complications and recurrence of HS in CO 2 laser‐treated areas. Methods The study was performed as a prospective cohort study focusing on patient‐reported outcomes. We collected preoperative interviews before CO 2 laser treatment with follow‐up at approximately Week 2, 6 and 12 post‐procedure. Fifty‐three patients were successfully included. Results CO 2 laser treatment resulted in a significantly improved quality of life in both ΔDLQI 3.5 (1.6−5.4 95% CI, p < 0.0002) and ΔHiSQOL 7.1 (3.1−11.1 95% CI, p < 0.006) when comparing baseline data with data 12 weeks post‐procedure. We observed a low risk of infection (5.8%) as well as a low risk of severe bleeding (7.7%) and sensory disturbance post‐procedure (7.7%). We found a moderate risk of recurrence of HS at the edge of the treated area (26.9%) and prolonged healing > 12 weeks (26.9%). Moreover, a higher BMI and biological treatment simultaneously with treatment appear to result in prolonged wound healing. Conclusions This study is to our knowledge one of the largest prospective study evaluating CO 2 laser treatment in HS patients and demonstrates that CO 2 laser treatment of recurrent HS elements improve quality of life in HS patients significantly. The most common complications are prolonged wound healing and recurrence of HS in the treatment edge.

Source: JEADV Clinical Practice

DOI: 10.1002/jvc2.70110