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

Sacrococcygeal pilonidal disease affects 26 out of 100,000 patients annually, with men affected twice as often as women, usually between 15-30 years old with a median age of 16 [1,2]. There are two principal theories regarding the pathophysiology of this disease: it may arise due to the congenital presence of a subcutaneous pilonidal sinus, or the more widely accepted theory that it may be acquired due to microtrauma causing traction on the hair follicles [1]. This leads to hair growing into pits with an inflammatory foreign body reaction.