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

ABSTRACT

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.