Hidradenitis suppurativa presenting with a posterior neck mass: a case report

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 12 x 10 x 4 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