ABSTRACT
The treatment of pilonidal sinus is still not definitive, however primary suturing after excision is becoming the preferred method of treatment than open excision. In our setup, such cases are managed by open as well as closed excisions. A study was carried out to evaluate the outcome of both procedures. Ninety-seven patients were available for analysis during the period from January 1993 through December 1998. Sixty-three patients were operated by open [Group-A] and 34 by excision and simple closure [Group-B]. The patients in group-B had shorter hospital stay [5.5 vs 8 days, p< 0.05], faster recovery [5.3 vs 8.6 weeks, p < 0.01] and earlier return to work [4.4 vs. 5.5 weeks, p < 0.05] despite problems of patient's compliance in the early post-operative period. Closed excision was found to be better than open excision in chronic pilonidal sinus and results may be further improved by better post-operative care and regular follow-up