Sinus pilonidalis in patients of German military hospitals: a review.

Pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) most commonly presents in young men when hair follicles enter through damaged epithelium and cause an inflammatory reaction. This results in the formation of fistular tracts. We reviewed studies based on a shared cohort of patients who presented at German military hospitals with PSD. The effect of the morphology of the sinus, perioperative protocol, and aftercare of the surgical treatment on the recurrence of PSD were evaluated. The drainage of acute abscesses before surgery, the application of methylene blue during surgery and open wound treatment were generally found to reduce the recurrence rate. A positive family history, postoperative epilation and primary suture as the healing method were found to elevate the recurrence rate. Long-term follow up of over 15 years was found to be a vital component of patient care as only 60% of the overall recurrences recorded had taken place by year 5 postoperatively.