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

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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.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Correspondence to P. M. Ortega.

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Ortega, P.M., Baixauli, J., Arredondo, J. et al. Is the cleft lift procedure for non-acute sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease a definitive treatment? Long-term outcomes in 74 patients. Surg Today 44, 2318–2323 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00595-014-0923-3

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