Comorbidities are not associated with pain symptom or recurrence in patients with pilonidal disease.

BACKGROUND: Comorbidities can potentially impact the presentation or outcome of patients with pilonidal disease (PD) due to poor wound healing or increased inflammatory response. We hypothesized that certain comorbidities could lead to worse pain or higher recurrence rate. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on all PD patients treated with standardized minimally invasive protocol at our clinic 2019-2022. Patients' demographics, comorbidities, initial/follow-up pain score, pain duration, and recurrence were recorded. Data were analyzed by t test and Chi-square test. RESULTS: Of 207 total PD patients (108 male, 99 female), 61 had comorbidities. Mean age was 18.2 years. The recurrence rate was 7%, and patients with recurrence were significantly younger. Associated comorbidities included mood/psychiatric disorders (31%), asthma/respiratory illness (30%), obesity-related illness (15%), gastrointestinal disorders (13%), diabetes (10%), thyroid disease (8%), cardiac disease (8%), musculoskeletal/connective tissue disorders (7%), immunologic disease (7%), inflammatory bowel disease (5%), and chest wall disorders (3%). The presence of comorbidities was not associated with PD recurrence. By dividing patients into adolescents (< 18 years) and adults (≥ 18 years), we found no association between comorbidity and recurrence in either group. 55% of patients had pain as an initial symptom. The initial pain score, pain duration, and pain score at follow-up were not associated with comorbidities. The comorbidities and recurrence were not associated with patient age or sex. CONCLUSIONS: Having comorbidities was not associated with pain symptoms or recurrence in PD patients. Even though patients with recurrence were younger, there was no association between comorbidity and recurrence in either adolescents or adults.

Using "Appointment Tickets" to Track Visit Duration as a Quality Improvement Initiative After Incorporating Laser Epilation in a Pilonidal Care Clinic.

BACKGROUND: Laser epilation (LE) is effective in decreasing pilonidal disease (PD) recurrence, but laser use has not been a standard practice in pediatric surgery clinic. We hypothesized that "appointment tickets" can 1) track utilization and clinic visit delays, 2) inform patients of their clinic progress in real time. METHODS: An observation study was performed on LE patients treated at our PD clinic 3/2021-7/2022. Two exam rooms were utilized for manual shaving and one for LE. After gluteal cleft hair shaving, various anesthetic (topical lidocaine, ice, or cryotherapy) was applied prior/during LE. At each visit, patient received an "appointment ticket" on which providers recorded the visit start/end time, manual shaving duration, local anesthetic application/wait time, LE duration. Visits were scheduled for 20 min-slots. Clinic staff recorded any delays (>20 min). RESULTS: 1317 visits were recorded. Mean number of visits per week was 18 ± 6. Mean total visit length was 60 ± 22 min, mean shaving time 15 ± 11 min, mean anesthetic application/wait time 16 ± 11 min, mean LE time 14 ± 9 min. Over the study period, average visit length has decreased, and average visits/clinic day has increased. Most delays occurred in months April, May, October-December. Delays due to patient late arrival occurred in May, July, and August of 2021, none in 2022. CONCLUSIONS: LE visits have multiple components that required close coordination to ensure no clinic delays. Clinic delays spiked prior to summer and winter holidays. "Appointment tickets" provided patients with real-time visit progress tracked clinic utilization to improve the quality of pilonidal care delivery. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Increasing Amount of Hair Reduction using Laser Correlates with Lower Probability of Recurrence in Patients with Pilonidal Disease.

BACKGROUND: Hair at the gluteal cleft plays a key role in the development and recurrence of pilonidal disease (PD). We hypothesized that more hair reduction achieved using laser could correlate with lower chance of PD recurrence. METHODS: PD patients who underwent laser epilation (LE) were categorized by Fitzpatrick skin type, hair color, and hair thickness. Photos taken at LE sessions were compared to determine hair reduction amount. LE sessions completed prior to the recurrences were recorded. Groups were compared using multivariate T-test. RESULTS: 198 PD patients had mean age 18.1 ± 3.6 years. 21, 156, and 21 patients had skin types 1/2, 3/4, and 5/6, respectively. 47 patients had light- and 151 had dark-colored hair. 29 patients had fine hair, 129 medium, and 40 thick. Median follow-up was 217 days. 95%, 70%, 40%, and 19% of patients reached 20%, 50%, 75%, and 90% hair reduction after mean LE sessions of 2.6, 4.3, 6.6, 7.8 sessions, respectively. To reach 75% hair reduction, patients require a mean of 4.8-6.8 LE sessions, depending on different skin/hair characteristics. PD recurrence rate was 6%. Probability of recurrence after 20%, 50%, 75% hair reduction was decreased by 50%, 78%, 100%, respectively. Dark hair and skin type 5/6 were associated with higher recurrence rates. CONCLUSION: Patients with dark-color and thick hair require more LE sessions to achieve certain degree of hair reduction. Patients with dark hair and skin type 5/6 were more likely to recur; more hair reduction correlated with lower chance of recurrence. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Adoption of a standardized treatment protocol for pilonidal disease leads to low recurrence.

BACKGROUND: Pilonidal disease may present as acute abscesses or chronic draining sinuses. There is no standardized treatment and recurrence rates can be as high as 30%. Within our five-hospital network we have established a standardized treatment protocol including minimally invasive surgical trephination and aggressive epilation. We hypothesize that such a treatment protocol can be established across different hospital settings and lead to low overall recurrence. METHODS: Patients with pilonidal disease were enrolled in the study on presentation to our hospital network. Those that underwent initial surgery outside our hospital system or were noncompliant with our treatment protocol were excluded. Patients were grouped based on surgeon and treating facility. Frequency of recurrence per surgeon and per hospital was calculated and compared. RESULTS: Out of 132 patients, 80 patients were included (45 female, 35 male) while 52 were excluded because of initial surgery at a non-network hospital or for protocol noncompliance. Median age was 17 (16-19) years and median length of follow-up was 352 (261-496) days. There were 6 patients who experienced at least one recurrence. There was an overall 8% recurrence rate with no significant difference noted between surgeons or hospitals (p = 0.15, p = 0.64, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We have successfully implemented a standardized treatment protocol for pilonidal disease across different hospital settings and by different surgeons, with an overall low recurrence rate. Our findings suggest that adoption of a standardized protocol for treatment of pilonidal disease can lead to low recurrence. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV.

Burden of pilonidal disease and improvement in quality of life after treatment in adolescents.

PURPOSE: Pilonidal Disease (PD) affects adolescents in different aspects. We hypothesized that patients with different gender, ethnicity, and age have different quality of life (QOL) measurements which could improve with minimally invasive treatment (MIT). METHODS: 131 PD patients underwent MIT (laser epilation ± trephination) from 2019 to 2021. Patients' demographics were recorded. Before and after MIT, patients received QOL questionnaire consisting of four categories: daily activities, sports participation, school/work attendance, and socializing. Data were analyzed using Student and multivariate t test. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: 101 (51 male, 50 female) patients were included. 30 patients with incomplete data were excluded. 54% of patients were < 18 years old. 47.5% were Hispanic. Median symptom duration prior to presentation was 5.4 (1.3-15) months. Prior to MIT, patients' ability to perform daily activities, participate in sports, attend school/work, and socialize was moderately or severely impacted in 66%, 57%, 45%, and 23% of respondents, respectively; after MIT, only 7%, 8%, 2%, and 4% were affected (p < 0.01). Recurrence rate was 6%. Pre-MIT, older patients and non-Hispanics reported worse impact on their QOL. Symptom duration or PD recurrence did not correlate with patient's pre- or post-MIT QOL. CONCLUSION: Patients' ethnicity and age impacted QOL in PD. All patients' QOL significantly improved with MIT. Considering the importance of socializing, playing sports, and school/work attendance in adolescents, our study highlights importance of early treatment of PD.