Is the cleft lift procedure for non-acute sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease a definitive treatment? Long-term outcomes in 74 patients

• Published in: Surgery today (Tokyo, Japan) Japan), 2014-12, Vol.44 (12), p.2318-2323
• Main Authors: Ortega, P. M., Baixauli, J., Arredondo, J., Bellver, M., Sánchez-Justicia, C., Ocaña, S., Hernández-Lizoain, J. L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Buttocks; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Original Article; Pilonidal Sinus - surgery; Sacrococcygeal Region; Surgery; Surgical Oncology; Surgical Procedures, Operative - methods; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0941-1291; 1436-2813
• DOI: 10.1007/s00595-014-0923-3

Purpose No definitive surgical treatment for non-acute pilonidal disease has been established thus far. We herein report the short-term and long-term outcomes of 74 consecutive patients who underwent the cleft lift procedure for non-acute pilonidal disease. Methods A total of 74 consecutive patients who underwent the cleft lift procedure for the treatment of non-acute pilonidal disease were evaluated. Results Complete healing was achieved in 54 patients (73 %). Wound seroma was observed in 12 patients (15 %) in the first week, and this persisted until the second week in 10 patients (13 %). Partial dehiscence was found in eight patients (11 %). One patient presented with complete wound dehiscence (1 %), and another experienced early postoperative bleeding (1 %). Wound infection was observed in one patient (1 %). The median follow-up period was 51.5 months (range 15–88 months). Three cases of recurrences were observed, which occurred after 51, 42 and 12 months of follow-up. Conclusions If longer-term follow-up is achieved, definitive conclusions may be obtained. However, the present results suggest that the cleft lift procedure may become the gold standard technique for the surgical management of non-acute pilonidal disease.