Use of the laser in the pilonidal sinus alone or in combination with phenol

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effectiveness of combining laser treatment with phenol in the management of pilonidal sinus. METHODS: We present here a retrospective analysis of patients with pilonidal sinus disease who were treated in the general surgery clinic of the Balikesir University Hospital between October 2019 and February 2022. RESULTS: Recurrence was observed in three patients (13.6%) in the laser treatment group and one patient (4.8%) in the laser-phenol treatment group after the fourth month. Notably, 22 (91.7%) patients in the laser treatment group and 21 (95.5%) patients in the laser-phenol treatment group had complete healing. CONCLUSION: Although not statistically significant, the laser-phenol treatment group exhibited a lower recurrence rate and a higher complete healing rate.