Resolution of pilonidal disease after bone marrow transplantation: A case report

Abstract

Introduction: Pilonidal disease is a common condition in adolescents and young adults that is managed with medications, local wound care and surgery. Immunosuppression is not a standard therapy utilized in this disease but is routinely prescribed in hidradenitis, a folliculitis in the axillae and groin rather than in the gluteal cleft. Case presentation: We present the case of a patient with severe pilonidal disease, with multiple collections in and above the gluteal cleft. Prior to presentation to our clinic, they had failed a standard treatment regimen for three years which included local wound care, multiple courses of antibiotics and incision and drainage procedures. They started on a treatment plan focused on hygiene and hair removal after being evaluated in our clinic. During this time, a concomitant diagnosis of leukemia was made and they were treated with induction chemotherapy and subsequent bone marrow transplant. Their pilonidal disease fully resolved after immunosuppression. Conclusion: This patient's severe pilonidal disease resolved with immunosuppression, supporting an inflammatory basis of the condition.

Keywords

• Pilonidal disease
• Etiology
• Inflammation
• Case report