Is the cleft lift procedure for non-acute sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease a definitive treatment? Long-term outcomes in 74 patients.
OBJECTIVE
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.
Department of General Surgery, University Clinic of Navarra, University of Navarra, Avda. Pío XII 36, 31008, Pamplona, Navarra, Spain, pmtnezortega@gmail.com.
P M
PM
Ortega
J
J
Baixauli
J
J
Arredondo
M
M
Bellver
C
C
Sánchez-Justicia
S
S
Ocaña
J L
JL
Hernández-Lizoain
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002081:Buttocks; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010864:Pilonidal Sinus / Q000601:surgery*; D012445:Sacrococcygeal Region; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult