A simple marsupialization technic for treatment of pilonidal sinus: long-term follow up.

THE MIARSUPIALIZATION operation for pilonidal sinuses was first described by Buie,3 in 1938. In his procedure, the sac was completely unroofed and the overhanging skin and adjacent edge of the sac was excised. The remaining skin edge was sutured to the edge of the sac wall. He believed that the histologic nature of the sac wall, and its similarity to skin, made the lining peculiarly suited for this type of operation. In an effort to shorten the healing time, the procedure was modified first 1 by excising most of the lateral wall and later 2 by removing all the sac with the exception of a 1V4-inch midline strip. The advantages of the marsupialization operation are many. The purpose of this article is to review not only 225 operated cases, but also to report on follow up findings on patients followed from a minimum of one year to over eight years.