Recurrent or persistent pilonidal disease
In some surgical patients, immediate disruption in healing and union of the fresh surgical area sometimes occurs. The healing disruption is usually caused by poor local care in the weeks following surgery and manifests in the formation of open wounds and persistent discharge along the gluteal cleft.
Surgical wound healing complications and disease recurrence are common phenomena following pilonidal surgeries of all types.
Approximately 10-20% of surgical patients (up to 40% in some studies) may require additional treatments and surgeries until achieving complete recovery. The difficulty in ensuring perfect and permanent success after pilonidal surgery stems from the persistence of the original disease-causing factors even after surgery and from individual predisposition (especially at a young age) to the formation of new pilonidal openings. These factors may cause pilonidal disease recurrence months or years after the initial surgery and require additional surgical treatment.
In cases of healing disruption and delay, complete recovery can still be achieved through meticulous hair removal from surgical wounds and surrounding skin, gluteal cleft-separating dressing, and adherence to continuous surgical follow-up until complete healing. (Details on the "Post-Surgery Care" page).
