Effect of treatment of pilonidal sinus with phenol on patients’ clinical condition and quality of life

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Pilonidal sinus is a common disease. Curative treatment is surgical excision. However, minimally invasive surgery is preferred day by day. Our study aimed to compare the effects of phenol and excision on postoperative results and quality of life in the treatment of pilonidal sinus.

METHODS: The patients who underwent surgery with the diagnosis of the pilonidal sinus in our clinic between June 2019 and June 2021 were examined. Demographic data, anthropometric measurements, clinical information, treatment, and postoperative data of the patients were recorded. Daily pain follow-up with daily visceral pain scale (VPS) was performed in the first ten days postoperatively, and a short form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire was used in the first and fourth weeks. The patients were grouped as phenol and excision groups and compared.

RESULTS: The study included 145 patients. Phenol was applied to 83 (57.2%) patients, and excision was applied to 62 (42.8%) patients. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups regarding age, gender, BMI, number of pilonidal sinuses, and family history (p>0.05). Return to work, painless walking and sitting on the toilet, and mean daily VPS values in the phenol group were significantly shorter than the excision group (p<0.05). All subscale values in the postoperative first week SF-36 results were significantly higher than in the excision group (p<0.001) in the phenol group.

CONCLUSION: Phenol is effective in the treatment of pilonidal sinus. Despite excision, treatment with phenol affects the patient’s quality of life less in the early postoperative period