Outpatient laser treatment of pilonidal sinus disease: A retrospective study of short-term outcomes

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Sinus Laser-assisted Closure has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment option for pilonidal sinus disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the short-term outcomes of outpatient laser pilonidal sinus surgery and to determine whether treatment in an outpatient clinic setting influences postoperative recovery and recurrence rates. METHODS: A single-center retrospective analysis was conducted including all consecutive patients with pilonidal sinus disease who underwent Sinus Laser-assisted Closure treatment in an outpatient setting under local anesthesia between 2021 and 2024. Selected patients were scheduled for follow-up, and all patients were instructed to contact the department in case of continuous or recurrent complaints for a clinical assessment of persistent disease or recurrence at the outpatient clinic. Persistent or residual disease within 2 months after the procedure was classified as residual disease, whereas disease detected after 2 months was classified as recurrence. Final rates of persistent disease and recurrence were assessed retrospectively from electronic medical records in December 2024. Patient-related data were collected from medical records, and statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics, version 29. RESULTS: Between 01 January 2021 and 31 December 2024, 80 patients were treated with outpatient Sinus Laser-assisted Closure-56 (70%) men and 24 (30%) women. The mean age was 34.9 (SD = 10.7) years. The mean follow-up period was 14.4 (SD = 8.3) months, with a minimum follow-up of 2 months. Persistent disease was reported by eight (10%) patients. Disease recurrence occurred in nine patients (11%). The mean duration of sick leave was 3.0 (SD = 4.7) days. Postoperative infections were observed in six patients (8%), four (5%) of whom required postoperative wound care. No other complications were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Outpatient Sinus Laser-assisted Closure under local anesthesia is an effective and feasible alternative to operating room-based surgery for selected patients with pilonidal sinus disease, with promising healing outcomes and a favorable recovery and complication profile.