Comparison of outcomes in four different surgical methods for sacral pilonidal sinus with long-term follows-up

Background: Sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease (PD) is prevalent in the young adults. The cause of PD is unclear, and there are different surgical procedures for the treatment. The Pilonidal sinus disease is an unpleasant, chronic relapsing condition that is difficult to cure. There is a wide variety of surgical treatments with sub-optimal results for it. The ideal treatment for the pilonidal sinus disease has yet to be defined. There are many surgical approaches described in the literature. In this study, the long-term outcomes of four current surgical methods for PD were evaluated and compared. We aimed to assess recurrence, satisfaction, complications rate and wound healing time in the four current surgical methods for PD. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Surgery at the Baqiyatallah University Hospital, Tehran, Iran, from April 2017 to September 2017. The study was carried out on 182 postoperative patients. Surgeries were performed in different methods such as; open, closed, semi-closed and limited excision. Diabetics, obese patients and patients with acute pilonidal abscess or prior PD surgery were excluded. All patients were followed for at least three years after surgery. During the follow -up period, patients were assessed for recurrence, satisfaction, complications rate and wound healing time. The outcomes were assessed by case notes analysis and follow-up telephone and postal questionnaires. Results: In this study forty-four patients were operated via closed Method, 48 patients through open, 48 via semi-closed and 42 one's trough limited excision methods. The highest rate of recurrence was in the open group. There were no cases of recurrence in the closed group. There were also less postoperative hemorrhage and faster wound healing in the closed group. The average satisfaction of all patients was 88.9±8.7. The mean satisfaction rate in the closed group was 95.9±5.3 which was higher than other groups. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that in the non-recurrent cases of sacral pilonidal sinus, complete Excision and primary repair have fewer complications and shows higher satisfaction rate.