OBJECTIVE: Results of two surgical techniques for treatment of pilonidal disease, marsupialization and incision and curettage were compared. METHOD: Fifty-two patients with sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease were divided into two groups: Group A consisted of 23 patients treated with marsupialization technique, and group B was composed of 29 patients submitted to incision and curettage. Postoperative follow-up varied between one and three years, from 1981 to 1999. Mean age for group A was 25.39 ± 8.92 years and for group B 25.52 ± 9.98 years. There were 28 females and 24 males. RESULTS: The average duration of the surgery for group A was 38.91 ± 19.77 minutes and for group B 47.34 ± 14.34 minutes. The mean in-ward duration time was 3,26 days for group A and 1.28 day for group B. Regarding antibiotic use, no statistical difference was observed between groups (p>0.05). Average wound healing time associated with marsupialization was 29.30 ±13.24 days, and for incision and curettage 40.76 ± 26.56 days. Postoperative pain occurred in 72.4% of the patients in group B and 17,4% of group A (p = 0,0001). Wound bleeding was absent in patients of group A but occurred in 29.7% of patients of group B (p=0,02829). The incidence of postoperative infection did not differ between the two groups (4.4% and 3.5% respectively). Group B presented a higher reccurring rate (27.6%) compared to group A (4.3%)(p=0,03364). CONCLUSIONS: Healing appears to be more efficient in patients undergoing marsupialization technique. Incision and curettage technique presents greater number of complications, with pain and bleeding occuring more often than with the marsupialization technique. The incision and curettage technique has a higher recurring rate than the marsupialization technique.
Sacrococcigeal pilonidal disease; Surgical technique; Marsupialization; Curettage
