The role of negative pressure wound therapy in the treatment of pilonidal disease

Abstract

Pilonidal disease is a particularly difficult disorder
to treat. Guidelines and recommendations for the treatment of
pilonidal disease neglect the use of negative pressure wound
therapy (NPWT), but studies strongly support the role of NPWT
in preventing surgical site infection in high-risk patients.
During a webinar on the pilonidal disease, we asked 51
participants to complete a questionnaire about the treatment
of pilonidal disease. They answered questions about treatment
practices for patients with a pilonidal disease, and the use of
NPWT.
The study showed that a relatively large number of surgeons
use NPWT to treat patients with the pilonidal disease. The
majority of them are satisfied with maintaining the tightness
and effectiveness of a vacuum dressing and would use the
single-use NPWT systems if they were more easily available and
affordable. It seems that the NPWT in the pilonidal disease is
increasingly used and this method is gaining popularity among
practitioners.