Surgical management of gluteal metastatic cutaneous Crohn's disease

Metastatic cutaneous Crohn's disease is a rare entity first described by McCallum et al. in 1976. It is diagnosed when histologically characteristic granulomata are seen at a site not contiguous with inflammatory disease in the gastrointestinal tract. We herein report presentation, diagnosis and management of a 28 year old lady with disabling, symptomatic cutaneous Crohn's of the buttocks and natal cleft refractory to Infliximab therapy. To the best of our knowledge only four other adult cases have been reported in the literature of metastatic cutaneous Crohn's disease of the buttock area distant from a flexure or area of skin apposition. The differential diagnosis in this case was Hidradenitis Suppurativa. A good cosmetic result and excellent symptom control were achieved with extensive debridement, wide local excision, vacuum assisted closure and delayed skin grafting. (C) 2012 European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.