Topical Agents and Dressings for Pilonidal Sinus Wound Healing by Secondary Intention: A Scoping Review

Pilonidal disease (PD) is a chronic and debilitating condition. The overall aim of the scoping review is to map and summarize a wide range of evidence to examine which topical agent or dressing is effective in promoting pilonidal wound healing by secondary intention. Review of this cumulative body of evidence will inform care and guide dressing selection for PD related wounds and delineate future research priorities based on identified knowledge gaps and clinical practice issues. Overall, there is some evidence to suggest that topical applications of hydrogel, silver, honey, zinc, selected foam materials, negative pressure wound therapy, platelet rich plasma, and plant extracts may promote wound healing. Topical treatment using polyhexamethylene biguanide and silver may be beneficial in reducing bacterial burden. Finally, silver, honey, and hydrocolloid dressings may help alleviate wound related pain. However, evidence remains insufficient in light of methodological limitations and biases of the studies.