Sacrococcygeal Local Anesthesia for Complicated Versus Uncomplicated Pilonidal Sinus Surgery: A Single Center Study

Several anesthetic techniques have been used for pilonidal sinus surgery such as general, spinal, and local anesthesia infiltration. However, the most effective technique remains controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of sacrococcygeal local anesthesia for complicated pilonidal cysts in terms of postoperative analgesic consumption.

This was a retrospective cohort study conducted by collecting data from medical records for male patients who underwent pilonidal surgery using sacrococcygeal local anesthesia from 2008 to 2018. Patients' demographics, operative data, and postoperative outcomes such as pain, nausea, as well as analgesic consumption at 0 and 3 hours were analyzed. Pain scores at rest and upon pressure were recorded using the Visual Analogue Scale. The length of complicated pilonidal sinus was considered to be greater than or equal to 7 cm with multiple openings.

A total of 394 patients were included in the study, 173 patients (43.9%) had complicated cysts while 221 patients (56.1%) had uncomplicated cysts. The majority of patients were males (85.5% vs. 76.9% in the complicated and uncomplicated groups respectively). Patients' weight was significantly higher in the complicated cyst group (87.12 ± 17.07 vs. 82.43 ± 20.30 kg, P value = 0.02). Around 41% of the patients in the complicated group were obese (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m^2) compared to 32.0% of the patients in the uncomplicated group. Mean arterial pressure and heart rate at baseline, intraoperatively and at the end of the operation were similar between the two groups. Pain scores at rest and upon pressure were low in both groups. Analgesic consumption was similar between the two groups. Eight patients (4.6%) in the complicated group required acetaminophen at 0 hour compared to 6 patients (2.7%) in the uncomplicated group. Three patients (1.7%) received ketoprofen at 0 hour in the complicated group and 3 patients (1.4%) in the other group. Three patients, 2 (1.2%) in the complicated group and 1 (0.5%) in the second group required tramadol hydrochloride.

Sacrococcygeal local anesthetic technique for complex pilonidal sinus surgery provided intra-operative hemodynamic stability as well as low post-operative pain and analgesic consumption.