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Crystallized phenol for treatment of pilonidal sinus disease in children: a comparative clinical study
Serkan Arslan1, Mehmet Hanifi Okur2, Erol Basuguy2
1Department of Pediatric Surgery, Medical Faculty of Dicle University, Diyarbakir, AZ, 21000, Turkey. drserkanarslan@hotmail.com.
Insights
Crystallized phenol (CP) offers a minimally invasive, cost-effective treatment for pediatric Pilonidal sinus disease (PSD), achieving high success rates with few complications. This approach is a promising first-line option for children with PSD.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Dermatology
- Wound Management
Background:
- Pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) affects pediatric patients, presenting challenges in treatment.
- Traditional treatments can be invasive and costly.
- Experience with crystallized phenol (CP) for pediatric PSD is being evaluated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the efficacy and safety of crystallized phenol (CP) for treating pediatric Pilonidal sinus disease (PSD).
- To compare outcomes in simple versus complex cases of pediatric PSD treated with CP.
- To analyze the cost-effectiveness and cosmetic results of CP treatment.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective evaluation of prospectively collected data from pediatric patients treated with CP between January 2015 and January 2020.
- Patients were categorized into simple and complicated groups based on sinus number and clinical presentation.
- Comparison of groups based on age, sex, sessions, cost, BMI, recurrence, resolution time, cosmesis, and complications.
Main Results:
- The study included 54 pediatric patients (52% girls), with a mean of 2.4 sinuses.
- Therapeutic success was achieved in 91% of patients (94% in simple, 86% in complicated groups).
- Recurrence was observed in 9% of patients, with one case (2%) of moderate skin burns; cosmesis was acceptable.
Conclusions:
- Crystallized phenol (CP) is a minimally invasive, cost-effective treatment for pediatric Pilonidal sinus disease (PSD).
- CP offers a high success rate (91%) and low complication rate, with good cosmetic outcomes.
- CP is a viable first-line treatment option for children with PSD, performable under local anesthesia.
Background:
The aim of this study was to present our experience in the use of crystallized phenol (CP) to treat pediatric patients with 'simple' and complex' Pilonidal sinus disease (PSD).
Materials And Methods:
Patients who underwent CP treatment in between January 2015 and January 2020 were evaluated retrospectively, using prospectively collected data. The patients were divided into simple and complicated groups. The groups were assigned depending on the number of sinuses and clinical presentation. The groups were compared in terms of age, sex, number of sessions, cost analysis, body mass index (BMI), recurrence, time resolution, cosmetic results, results /improvement, and complications.
Results:
This study included 54 patients: 28 (52%) girls and 26 (48%) boys. The mean number of sinuses was 2.4. Symptoms included discharge in 50 (92%) patients, and pain in 42 (78%) patients. Fifty (93%) patients experienced mild pain during the procedure, whereas four (7%) patients had moderate pain. The mean number of CP sessions was 2.9; mean numbers of CP sessions were 2.2 and 4.2 in the Simple and Complicated groups. In total, 5 of 54 patients (9%) had recurrence.At the end of treatment, therapeutic success was achieved in 49 of 54 (91%) patients: 31 of 33 (94%) patients in the Simple group and 18 of 21 patients (86%) in the complicated group. The mean treatment cost for the whole cohort was $17.40. One patient (2%) presented with moderate skin burns. Cosmesis was deemed acceptable by patients, although there was evidence of minor skin burns following the procedure.
Conclusions:
The findings showed that the CP procedure was advantageous for treatment of PSD, because it was minimally invasive, cost-effective, provided good cosmesis, and had a high success rate and low complication rate. Furthermore, it did not require prior examination, and could be performed under local anesthesia. Therefore, the CP procedure may be useful as a first-line treatment option in children with PSD.
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