Effectiveness of the Limberg and Karydakis Procedures in Complicated Pilonidal Sinus Disease

Abstract

Objective: There is no accepted gold standard method for treating complicated pilonidal sinus disease (CPSD). The objective of this study was to examine the effect of the Limberg procedure (LP) and the Karydakis procedure (KP) for treating CPSD. Methods: A total of 44 patients who underwent surgery for CPSD between July 2020 and July 2023 were included. These patients were divided into two groups: the LP and KP groups. The patients were followed up for an average of 18.9 months. Results: There were no differences in preoperative characteristics between the two groups (p>0.05). The complications were higher in the KP group and approached statistical significance (p=0.052). This situation was attributed to a 45.5% incidence of wound dehiscence in the KP group compared with 13.6% in the LP group (p=0.021). In the LP group, the median time to return to work was 20.5 days, whereas the healing time was 30 days. In the KP group, the median time to return to work was extended to 30 days, with a healing time of 56 days. There was no difference in recurrence between the two groups (p=0.607). Conclusion: LP is recommended for treating CPSD because of its faster return to work and healing time.

Keywords

• complicated pilonidal sinus disease
• limberg procedure
• karydakis procedure