Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2023 Sep;27(9):721-727.
doi: 10.1007/s10151-022-02740-8. Epub 2023 Jan 4.

The value of honey dressings in pilonidal cyst healing: a prospective randomized single-center trial

E Abet  1 , M-H Jean  2 , T Greilsamer  2 , L Planche  3 , F Maurice  4 , A G Brau-Weber  2 , F Denimal  2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

The value of honey dressings in pilonidal cyst healing: a prospective randomized single-center trial

E Abet et al. Tech Coloproctol. 2023 Sep.

Abstract

Background: Honey is described as a wound healing agent. Many virtues have been attributed to it, in particular, antibacterial properties. The aim of our study was to evaluate its value in healing of wounds after wide excision on pilonidal cyst healing.

Methods: A prospective randomized trial was conducted from March 2016 to February 2022 which included patients with a persistent non healed wound which required packing 6 weeks after pilonidal cyst excision. Patients were randomly allocated to simple alginate wick dressings or the same design plus honey.

Results: Fifty patients were included in each arm. There were 57 men and 43 women. The median age was 22 years (range 19-28 years). The mean healing time was 61 (± 44) days in the wick + honey group compared to 78 (± 55) days in the simple alginate wick group (p = 0.094). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of time off work and time without physical activity The VQ-Dermato quality of life score was equivalent in both groups.

Conclusions: Tolerability for honey dressings is good and is equivalent to that of alginate dressings in cavity wound care. This trial did not reach a significant difference in its primary endpoint but it shows the value of honey in this indication, although its use requires further study.

Trial registration number: CLINICAL TRIALS: NCT02485860 and EUDRACT: 2015-A00452-47 (10/03/2015).

Keywords: Alginates; Honey; Pilonidal sinus; Quality of life; Randomized controlled trial; Wound healing.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Shabbir J, Chaudhary BN, Britton DC (2011) Management of sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus disease: a snapshot of current practice. Int J Colorectal Dis 26(12):1619–1620 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pronk AA, Vissink MJ, Smakman N, Furnee EJB. Long-term Outcome of Radical Excision Versus Phenolization of the Sinus Tract in Primary Sacrococcygeal Pilonidal Sinus Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial Treatment for pilonidal sinus disease. Dis Colon Rectum. 2022 Sep 2;
    1. Johnson DE, Granville R, Lovett E, Runau F, Chaudhri S. Pilonidal sinus laser-assisted closure (PiLAC) - a low-morbidity alternative to excision with excellent long-term outcomes. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2022 Apr 21;
    1. Sluckin TC, Hazen SMJA, Smeenk RM, Schouten R (2022) Sinus laser-assisted closure (SiLaC®) for pilonidal disease: results of a multicentre cohort study. Tech Coloproctology 26(2):135–141 - DOI
    1. Gulcu B, Ozturk E. Endoscopic pilonidal sinus treatment vs. laser-assisted endoscopic pilonidal sinus treatment: short-term results from a retrospective case-matched study. Tech Coloproctology. 2022 Apr;26(4):271–7.

Publication types

Associated data

LinkOut - more resources