Recurrent or persistent pilonidal disease

Impaired healing of surgical wounds and recurrence of the disease are common symptoms of pilonidal disease.

Approximately 10-20% of patients (up to 40% in some studies) may require additional treatments and surgeries until complete recovery is achieved.

The difficulty in ensuring perfect and permanent success after pilonidal surgery stems from the persistence of the original causes of the disease even after surgery and the individual tendency (especially at a young age) to form new pilonidal openings.

Some patients experience immediate disruption in the healing and fusion of the freshly operated area. The disruption in healing is usually caused by poor local treatment in the weeks following surgery and by hair infiltration into the freshly operated wounds, and is manifested by the formation of open wounds and persistent discharge along the gluteal crease.

 

Treatment of recurrent disease

If new openings are created after minimal surgery , the same surgery can be repeated as many times as necessary.

In the event of recurrence after a wide resection with characteristics of complex disease, extensive reoperation using a local sling will be necessary (details on the "Wide Resection" page).

In cases of disruption and delayed healing of an area that has been operated on with a wide excision, it is still possible to achieve a full recovery, without the need for surgery , by carefully removing the hair from the surgical wounds and the skin around them, dressing the buttock area while separating the sides of the buttock from each other, and ensuring continuous surgical follow-up until complete healing. (Details on the "After Surgery" page).