The use of acellular dermal regeneration template for recalcitrant pilonidal disease

Abstract

Numerous techniques have been described for the treatment of pilonidal disease, yet there remains no consensus on the optimal management of recurrent pilonidal disease. Pilonidal wounds often lack the structural integrity to heal over and Integra provides a scaffold for the regrowth of an autogenous dermis from the patient's own fibroblasts and collagen. Postoperative negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) may speed vascularisation of Integra, re-epithelialisation, and wound closure. This case report concerns two patients with chronic pilonidal sinuses who underwent wide excision and placement of Integra with postoperative NPWT. Postoperatively, the patients were assessed for complications and recurrence. Both patients went on to heal and did not require further surgical treatment after a median follow-up of 29 months. Integra may help prevent pocket or cyst formation during the closure process and provides a neodermis, allowing for full re-epithelialisation. More research and a longer follow-up are needed to evaluate the role of Integra and NPWT in recurrent pilonidal disease.