RESUMO
Importance: Treatment modalities for preauricular sinus tract infections vary. Effort should be taken to decrease methods that lead to increased recurrence after surgical excision. Objective: To determine whether incision and drainage (I & D) of infected congenital preauricular cysts is associated with increased rate of recurrence when compared with fine-needle aspiration or antibiotic treatment. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a 9-year (2006-2014) retrospective cohort study undertaken at a tertiary care pediatric hospital. Children treated for preauricular sinus tract infections were identified using the procedure code for excision of preauricular pit, cyst, or sinus tract. Main Outcomes and Measures: Postexcision recurrence. Results: Sixty-nine children ranging in age from 4 months to 17 years (mean age, 5.9 years) underwent excision of a preauricular cyst. Thirty-seven of 69 patients (54%) were female. Fifty-seven of 69 (83%) had a preoperative history of infection; the remainder had chronic drainage. Of children with preoperative infection, 27 were initially treated with incision and drainage (I & D), 12 were treated with fine-needle aspiration only, and 18 received antibiotic therapy alone. Overall, the recurrence rate was 8 in 69 (11.6%). Among the 27 patients with a preoperative history of infection treated with I & D, 5 lesions (18.5%) recurred, and among those who only received preoperative antibiotic therapy or fine-needle aspiration 1 in 30 lesions (3.3%) recurred (absolute difference of 15.2%; 95% CI, -1.7% to 33.6%). Conclusions and Relevance: Among infants and children undergoing excision of preauricular cysts, a history of infection was not associated with a higher recurrence rate. There was, however, evidence to suggest that a higher rate of recurrence exists among children who had a preoperative history of infection treated with I & D. Our results suggest a more conservative treatment of infected preauricular pit and/or sinus.
