Evaluation of the efficacy of the Z-plasty surgical technique vs. secondary wound healing mechanism in the treatment of the pilonidal sinus: a clinical trial.

Abstract

Background: The most important step in treating a pilonidal sinus is eradication by surgical excision. Over the years, various surgical techniques have been reported for wound closure, yet their management still poses a challenge. The current study compares the results of two different methods of wound management: secondary wound healing versus the Z-plasty surgical technique. Material and method: The current clinical trial recruited 84 uncomplicated pilonidal sinus patients who were to undergo complete surgical excision of the pilonidal sinus. For wound healing, the 84 subjects were equally divided into two groups of 42 patients each. One group was selected for Z-plasty surgical wound closure and the other for the secondary healing mechanism. Outcomes measured consisted of demographic data, length of operation, complications, severity of pain, number of dressings, recurrence, and complete healing time. Result: Age or sex distribution and the median BMI (kg/m²) did not significantly differ between the two groups. The length of the operation for Z-plasty subjects was significantly longer (P <0.0001). The median number of dressing changes for secondary wound healing patients was 38.69, which was significantly higher than the 4.95 dressing changes for the Z-plasty group. The total time recorded for complete wound healing was 21.61±4.27 days in the Z-plasty group and 41.23±24.28 days for secondary wound healing subjects, which was statistically significant. Twenty-four hours postoperation, patients in the secondary wound healing group had significantly more pain, and the Visual Analogue Scale scores of the Z-plasty and secondary wound healing groups were 3.42±0.76 and 6.09±1.2, respectively. Concerning the recurrence rate, there were no significant differences between the two groups. SPSS version 22 performed the analyses, and the independent t-test compared the continuous variables. A P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Conclusion: Z-plasty is a safe and effective procedure in terms of wound complications and recurrence rate. This method is also cost-effective and better received by patients.