Martina Porter, MD

2018 Awardee: A Single Center Study to Evaluate the Effect of Sclerotherapy on Fistulas and Sinus Tracts in Adult Patients with Hidradenitis Suppurativa Using Ultrasound Assessment

Dermatologist and currently a Research Fellow and Staff Dermatologist at Beth Israel in Boston. Alexa Kimball, MD, MPH, her mentor, is a world-recognized expert in HS. Dr. Porter and Dr. Kimball have developed protocols using ultrasound for HS.  

Award amount: $10,000

Layman’s Statement

Hidradenitis Suppurativa is a chronic disease that greatly affects the lives of those afflicted with the disease. Patients often complain of drainage from their skin lesions. Current treatment for these draining skin lesions is primarily medication, such as washes, oral antibiotics, or adalimumab, that may help to alleviate some of the symptoms. However, not all patients with HS improve with these treatments, and surgery is a commonly employed alterative treatment for HS. Newer therapies are needed. This study explores the use of an injection of hypertonic saline, which is water with a high salt concentration, into the draining skin lesions of HS patients. Hypertonic saline is currently used as a safe and successful off-label treatment for varicose veins, causing the veins to collapse and close. We believe that injection of hypertonic saline may also cause collapse and closure of the draining lesions, called fistulas, in HS patients and improve their quality of life. We plan to evaluate the response to hypertonic saline in HS patients with fistulas through patient, physician, and ultrasound assessment before and after administration of hypertonic saline.