Hidradenitis Suppurativa Presenting with a Posterior Neck Mass: A Case Report

ABSTRACT

Hidradenitis suppurativa is a rare disorder that is characterized by recurrent chronic skin infections and the formation of sinus tracts and considerable scaring. A 37-year-old man presented with a hard posterior neck mass. Multiple pus-producing sinuses were detected in the skin covering the mass. MRI demonstrated an ill-defined, soft tissue mass with multiple variable sized cystic lesions. The soft tissue mass measured 12x10x4 cm in the subcutaneous fat layer, it contained multifocal cystic lesions that revealed higher signal intensity on both the T1- and T2-weighted images, as compared with the adjacent neck muscles. The mass was not enhanced on the post-contrast T1 weighted images. Some of the cystic lesions extended to the skin. The mass was removed surgically and confirmed to be hidradenitis suppurativa.