Patient Satisfaction After the Cleft-Lift Procedure

Introduction Although Pilonidal disease is rarely life-threatening, it is a painful and potentially embarrassing condition that if left untreated or treated poorly, can disrupt a patient's ability to enjoy life, function at work, develop relationships, or attend school or the military. There are several different approaches to this problem which include non-surgical measures, minimally invasive surgery, excisional surgery, or flap surgery. This article relates the experience with a surgical practice that offers only the cleft lift procedure and describes the degree of patient satisfaction with the operation. Materials and Methods Seven hundred and fifty-one patients were treated between 2011 and 2021. Surveys were sent out to these patients by email after at least eight weeks had elapsed from surgery. The study was closed once 500 responses were obtained. Statistical analysis was performed to determine if patients who had undergone previous pilonidal surgery (salvage group) had different opinions than the patients who did not (primary group). Results Of the 500 respondents, 494 (98.8%) were "extremely satisfied" or "satisfied" with their procedure; 444 (88.8%) felt that the recovery process was "very easy" or "easy" and only 56 (11.2%) felt that it was "difficult but worth it" or "really hard". Four hundred and one (80.2%) felt that the activity restrictions were "minimal, I was back to normal activity very quickly"; 438 (89.4%) felt that the scar looked "really good" or answered, "it's fine, not an issue for me. I'm just glad to be done with this". Whether the patients had previous failed surgery or not, the vast majority (78.2% and 79.6% respectively) felt that the cleft lift was an appropriate first operation for pilonidal disease; and statistical analysis failed to show any significant differences in opinions between the primary and salvage groups on any of the questions. The few patients who ultimately were dissatisfied with the procedure were unhappy with the cosmetic appearance of the scar and shape of the buttocks. By comparing the demographic characteristics of the respondents to the entire cohort, we found them to be similar groups, suggesting that the respondents were representative of the group as a whole. Conclusion A correctly performed cleft lift operation provides a solution that is very well accepted by patients, specifically in regard to recovery time, appearance, appropriateness, and overall satisfaction.