Then how does ultrasound help?

• Early and accurate diagnosis: US is highly effective at precisely diagnosing skin lesions of HS, even in early stages and hence facilitates timely initiation of therapy.
• Detection of subclinical lesions: HS may present with lesions at the dermal and subcutaneous layers (subclinical lesions which are below the visible skin layer), which may not be evident on clinical examination alone. Ultrasound can help detect subclinical lesions and accurately decide the disease severity.
• Objective assessment: Imaging provides an objective viewpoint: What, where, how many lesions? draining abscess or draining sinus/fistula? Elucidates the anatomical morphology of the lesions and helps in accurately staging or assessing the severity of lesions. It hence aids in treatment planning.
• Treatment monitoring: Serial ultrasounds can assess response to medical treatment or disease progression.
• Surgical management: Patient selection and presurgical mapping of lesions: which is crucial given the need for complete resection/removal of HS lesions to prevent recurrence.