Primary Closure of Pilonidal Sinus With Slide-Swing Skin Flap Compared With the Secondary Closure: A Single-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction: There are many surgical approaches for sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) therapy, ranging from wide excision repair to less morbid excisions with primary/flap closure. The off-midline flaps, which shift the incision line away from the midline natal cleft, have been associated with lower recurrence rates than the conventional mid-line closure techniques. This single-blinded randomized controlled trial aims to compare the short/long-term efficacy and outcome of the slide-swing flap technique with the conventional secondary wound closure. Method and materials: This study was a prospective randomized controlled trial conducted on patients with PSD. Patients were assigned into two groups: secondary closure (control) and slide-swing flap (trial). Patients were advised to visit the surgical clinic two times weekly for the two weeks after the operation for at least six months. Results: In this study, 100 patients were enrolled. They were assigned into two groups of control, and trial. The mean age of all participants was 29.15 ± 8.36 years old (age range: 18-62 years old). The mean operation time was 39.65 ± 12.63 for both groups, with the control group being 29.70 ± 7.71 and the swing flap group 46.90 ± 7.81. Patient visual analog scale (VAS) scores in both groups revealed that the trial group was associated with lower VAS scores compared with patients who underwent secondary closure (p-value = 0.006). Also, the trial group demonstrated a higher rate of healing, better cosmetic outcomes, and quicker recovery time compared with the controls. Conclusion: Compared with secondary closure, the slide-swing flap was associated with excellent cosmetic outcomes, disease recurrence, and recovery time. Also, the post-operative complications were significantly lower compared with the traditional method.