Results of Laser-assisted Closure (SiLaC) Surgery in Pilonidal Sinus Disease: Factors Associated With Success

Pilonidal sinus treatment with sinus laser-assisted closure (SiLaC) method has produced promising results in a limited number of studies conducted in recent years. We aimed to examine the efficacy and safety of this method in a tertiary care training hospital to reveal the factors affecting failure and to share our first experiences.

All adult patients treated with this procedure between March 2020 and December 2023 were included in the study. Demographic and clinical data, complications, and recurrence rates of the patients were compared. Univariate analysis was performed between recovered and non-recovered patients to find the factors influencing successful treatment. Logistic regression analysis was performed using significant factors in the single variable analysis.

The study cohort consisted of 64 patients. The mean follow-up period was 17.0±8.06 months (range: 3 to 36), and the mean time for return to work was 2.4±2.78 days (range: 0 to 14). Our recovery rate was 85.9%. The complication rate was 14%, and the majority (50%) were wound infections. High BMI and advanced disease were significant factors for recurrence in the comparison of patients with successful and unsuccessful treatment ( P <0.01 and 0.013, respectively). The same situation persisted in multivariate analysis ( P =0.026, 95% CI: 1.36-7.81, and P =0.004, 95% CI: 1.36-1.78, respectively). In the ROC Curve analysis for BMI, the cutoff point was 29 (sensitivity: 66.9%, specificity: 77.4%, AUC 0.809). Other parameters were not significant ( P >0.05).

The SiLaC procedure may be the treatment of choice for pilonidal sinus disease as a safe and effective method with mild complications and reasonable recurrence rates. The success rate decreased in obese patients and patients with advanced disease.