Pilonidal Disease: Toward a Severity-Stratified, Value-Based Approach

Pilonidal disease affects up to 100 per 100,000 adolescents and young adults, with incidence rising worldwide. Its impact extends far beyond the operating room. During formative years, patients face disruptions in education, employment, and social life that are disproportionate to what is often labeled a “minor” surgical problem. Despite this burden, care remains fragmented and guided more by surgeon preference and local practice than by standardized, evidence-based frameworks.(1)