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
. 2024 Aug 14;28(1):104.
doi: 10.1007/s10151-024-02972-w.

Adolescent pilonidal disease laser treatment (a-PiLaT): a pilot study

A Romanova  1 , M Nissen  2 , M Alrefai  2 , J Hubertus  2 , T Deska  3 , M Senkal  3
Affiliations

Adolescent pilonidal disease laser treatment (a-PiLaT): a pilot study

A Romanova et al. Tech Coloproctol. .

Abstract

Background: Pilonidal disease (PD) is an acquired condition related to hair-induced mechanical forces on the skin surface of the intergluteal cleft, with subsequent abscess formation with or without a concomitant draining sinus (pit). While surgical management currently is the mainstay of treatment, pilonidal disease laser treatment (PiLaT) has recently been recognized as a promising treatment option for non-inflammatory diseases. Nonetheless, there is a paucity of available data on adolescent pilonidal disease laser treatment (a-PiLaT).

Methods: We describe our preliminary experience with PiLaT performed in adolescents aged 10-17 years at our tertiary paediatric surgical hospital from 2019 to 2023. Data on perioperative characteristics and clinical outcomes at follow-up were retrospectively analysed.

Results: A total of 17 consecutive patients (n = 12 female, 71%) underwent a-PiLaT. At the time of treatment, the patients' mean age and body mass index were 13.6 ± 1.6 years and 25.3 ± 5.6 kg m-2, respectively. The mean operative time was 21.5 ± 10.4 min, whereas the mean follow-up period was 24.5 ± 16.8 months, with a complication rate of 24% (n = 4) and recurrence rate of 18% (n = 3). With respect to postsurgical scar assessment, the mean Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale scores (score range 6-60, with higher scores indicating worse outcome) were 14.2 ± 6.5 (patients' evaluation) and 11.4 ± 4.7 (observers' evaluation).

Conclusion: The a-PiLaT represents a novel approach for managing PD in adolescents. Our preliminary data on the outcomes of a small series of patients with pilonidal sinuses after a-PiLaT indicated complication and recurrence rates comparable to those reported in the literature for adults. This new minimally invasive technique has great potential and is therefore worthy of further research on a larger population.

Keywords: Adolescent surgery; Laser; Pilonidal cyst; Pilonidal disease.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
a Pilonidal sinus after pit-picking and laser application. b Postoperative result after 4 weeks
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Mayo OH (1833) Observations on injuries and diseases of the rectum. Burgess and Hill, London - PMC - PubMed
    1. Karydakis GE (1992) Easy and successful treatment of pilonidal sinus after explanation of its causative process. Aust N Z J Surg 62:385–389 - PubMed
    1. Bascom J (1983) Pilonidal disease: long-term results of follicle removal. Dis Colon Rectum 26:800–807 - PubMed
    1. Bascom J (1994) Pilonidal sinus. Curr Pract Surg 6:175–180
    1. Özkan Z, Aksoy N, Emir S (2014) Investigation of the relationship between serum hormones and pilonidal sinus disease: a cross-sectional study. Colorectal Dis 16(4):311–314 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources