We systematically searched available databases. We reviewed 6,143 studies published from 1833 to 2017. Reports in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish were considered, as were publications in other languages if definitive treatment and recurrence at specific follow-up times were described in an English We assessed data in the manner of a meta-analysis of RCTs; further we assessed non-RCTs in the manner of a merged data analysis. In the RCT analysis including 11,730 patients, Limberg & Dufourmentel operations were associated with low recurrence of 0.6% (95%CI 0.3–0.9%) 12 months and 1.8% (95%CI 1.1–2.4%) respectively 24 months postoperatively. Analysing 89,583 patients from RCTs and non-RCTs, the Karydakis & Bascom approaches were associated with recurrence of only 0.2% (95%CI 0.1–0.3%) 12 months and 0.6% (95%CI 0.5–0.8%) 24 months postoperatively. Primary midline closure exhibited long-term recurrence up to 67.9% (95%CI 53.3–82.4%) 240 months post-surgery. For most procedures, only a few RCTs without long term follow up data exist, but substitute data from numerous non-RCTs are available. Recurrence in PSD is highly dependent on surgical procedure and by follow-up time; both must be considered when drawing conclusions regarding the efficacy of a procedure.

This study was designed to evaluate the timeline of recurrence of pilonidal sinus disease after primaryvs.multiple surgery. Data of medical military service in Germany were reviewed. Telephone interview of 205 patients after pilonidal sinus disease surgery after median interval of 14.8 (standard deviation ±3.9) years was conducted. A total of 345 patient charts with pilonidal sinus disease recurrence and fully documented previous surgery history were analyzed. Pilonidal sinus disease recurred in 41 of 205 patients (20 percent; actuarial survival 22 percent) after first surgery. Median recurrence-free-interval was 1.8 (range, 0.1-16.5) years. Twenty-nine of 41 of all recurrences (71 percent) were observed within four years after primary surgery. Fifteen of 50 patients (30 percent) treated by primary closure had recurrent disease after a median recurrence-free interval of 2.7 (range, 0.2-13.5) years compared with 24 of 144 patients (17 percent), who experienced recurrence after rhomboid excision and open wound treatment after a median of 1.8 (range 0.1-16.5) years(P= 0.081, long-rank-test). Analysis of 345 recurrent disease charts revealed that recurrence time decreased for multiple recurrences compared with first recurrence (R1vs.R2:P= 0.07; R2vs.R3:P= 0.03, Mann-WhitneyUtest). Long-term recurrence rate was 22 percent and thus higher than previously reported. This may be attributed to the long follow-up interval. Recurrences up to 20 years after surgery were seen. Our data provide evidence that follow-up after first to the third pilonidal sinus surgery should complete or exceed five years, because the majority of recurrences occur during this postoperative interval. Nevertheless, even a five-year follow-up will still miss 25 percent of recurrences.

It has long been suspected that a family history of pilonidal sinus disease may predispose to higher disease incidence. The influence of family history on recurrence rate has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the recurrence rate in patients with both a personal and a family history of pilonidal sinus disease. A standardized telephone interview was used to retrospectively study 578 patients who underwent primary surgery between 1980 and 1996. Differences concerning the long-term recurrence rate between patients with a positive or negative family history were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier statistics. Sixty-eight of 578 patients (12%) had a positive family history with first-degree relatives, in which 28 brothers and 25 fathers were similarly involved. The long-term recurrence rate was significantly elevated when family history was positive (35% vs. 22% after 15 years and 52% vs. 28% after 25 years; P = 0.02). The long-term recurrence rate was elevated if surgery was needed at a younger age (P = 0.03). The body mass index measured at time of admission for surgery did not seem to have any negative influence on recurrence rates (P = 0.31). Although a positive family history predisposes a person to earlier onset of disease, recurrences occur within 5.1 +/- 6.2 years (mean +/- standard deviation) in patients with a positive family history and within 5.3 +/- 5.2 years in patients with a negative family history (P = 0.95). Patients with a positive family history need closer surgical monitoring because primary disease will manifest earlier. A remarkable long-term recurrence rate exceeding 50% after 25 years places a much higher disease burden on patients with a positive family history. All available interventions known to reduce recurrence rate should be applied to this group of patients.