Loop drainage after debridement (LDAD): minimally invasive treatment for pilonidal cyst

Excerpt

Pilonidal disease is a subcutaneous infection occurring in the upper half of the gluteal cleft. Often, pilonidal disease presents as acute pilonidal abscess and requires treatment accordingly with an incision and drainage procedure. The principles of the Bascom-type treatments, such as the cleft lift, rely on the premise that pathogenesis originates at the epidermal level of the midline pit that harbors embedded hair follicles [1]. Definitive management of pilonidal cyst remains a challenge and often requires morbid wounds [2]. More complex techniques do not obviate the risk of failure or recurrence. As a result, less invasive and less complex techniques are desirable as the first-line management of pilonidal cyst. With this in mind, we invoke the principles of loop drainage of abscesses as described by Tsoraides et al. [3] in the pediatric population. …