NAVIGATING treatment options for hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) may include consideration of clinic-based deroofing as a more effective and economical choice compared to local excision. A recent cost-utility analysis evaluated the clinical and financial outcomes of these procedures, revealing new insights.
Using a Markov model, researchers assessed direct medical costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) over a 2-year period from the U.S. healthcare perspective. Patients undergoing deroofing gained an additional 0.19 QALYs at a modest incremental cost of 311.39 USD per patient. This resulted in a highly favorable incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of 1,677.10 USD per QALY, significantly below the 50,000/QALY USD benchmark.
Deroofing demonstrated lower adverse event rates, including reduced disease recurrence and post-surgical complications, contributing to its superior cost-effectiveness. While sensitivity analyses highlighted variability based on adverse event rates, secondary costs, and utility values, deroofing consistently emerged as the optimal strategy.
These findings suggest that deroofing not only improves patient quality of life but also represents a prudent choice for cost-conscious healthcare systems. With rising demand for effective HS management, this study underscores the potential of deroofing as a preferred clinic-based intervention.
By prioritizing both economic and health outcomes, deroofing redefines surgical care for hidradenitis suppurativa, offering improved quality of life for patients while minimizing financial burden.
Reference: Hundal set al. Cost-Utility Analysis of Clinic-Based Deroofing versus Local Excision for Hidradenitis Suppurativa. JAAD. 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2024.11.057. [In press].
Anaya Malik | AMJ
