Pilonidal sinus treatment: A new simplified technique; filling natal cleft with fasciofatty flap.

Abstract

Pilonidal sinus is a chronic subcutaneous abscess in the natal cleft, which spontaneously drains through its openings. The first documented case of pilonidal sinus was done by A.W. Anderson in his letter to the editor that appeared in an issue of the Boston Medical Surgical Journal of 1847, entitled ''Hair Extracted from an Ulcer,''. 1 In 1880, Hodges coined the term ''pilonidal sinus'' (pilus, meaning hair, and nidus, meaning nest) to describe the chronic sinus containing hair and found between the buttocks. He believed the condition was congenital in origin, representing an imperfect union of the lateral halves of the body. 2 Buie called it ''jeep disease'' because of the frequent complaint among military personnel under stresses of driving trucks, tanks, and jeeps. 3