De-roofing and Curettage vs WLE for Pilonidal Abscess

Plain-language summary

Pilonidal disease refers to a common disease affecting mostly young males. It may present as asymptomatic pits, acute and painful abscess formation, or chronic discharging sinuses. There are many treatment options for the latter two manifestations but broadly speaking the surgical treatment of acute pilonidal abscess can fall into three categories: (1) incision and drainage, (2) de-roofing and curettage and (3) wide local excision. The evidence available for the surgical management of acute pilonidal abscess is limited. Previous studies have consistently demonstrated that incision and drainage results in high recurrence rates and should not be considered as the first-line treatment option for the management of acute pilonidal abscess. However, it is not clear whether abscess de-roofing with curettage or wide local excision should be considered as the surgical procedure of choice in acute pilonidal abscess. There has not been a prospective randomised study comparing abscess de-roofing with curettage and wide local excision for acute pilonidal abscess. The ideal surgical procedure would be one that results in the lowest rate of abscess recurrence, treats the underlying pilonidal sinus thereby reducing the need for re-operation but has acceptable post-operative pain, complications and time to complete wound healing.

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