Like with other bottomline diseases such as piles and fissures, people are reticent to talk on pilonidal sinus, says gastroenterologist surgeon, Dr. Patta Radhakrishna. 

Chennai, 5 July 2022: Pilonidal sinus is an infection that develops on the backside, more often, of men with thick body hair. 

Like with piles, it too invites some crude and below the belt commentary from society. Hence, many of those who suffer from it do not discuss it, except when growing discomfort forces them to see a doctor. 

“It could get painful down there after a point, and the pus that forms… can cause some degree of distress,” says Dr. Patta Radhakrishna, the chief gastroenterologist surgeon at SIMS Hospital, Chennai.  

Pilonidal sinus, which forms near the tailbone at the point where the buttock cheeks split, is caused when the hair in the region, dead cells, dirt, and oil enter through a puncture in the skin and begin to collect and decay in the cavity. It is often seen in people who remain seated for long hours owing to their work.

In the normal course, a physician or a general surgeon would excavate and clear the wound, and then run the patient on a course of antibiotics. However, in a good number of cases, the infection comes right back.

The Limberg flap technique

The lasting solution is a flap surgery, says Dr Patta. It entails clearing the infected area, and then, bridging it using a flap of skin. The flap shifts the buttock cleft line, preventing anymore strain at the site of the infection.

“It takes care of the problem once and for all.”

The procedure, of course, is done only by a gastroenterologist surgeon. However, in most cases, by the time the patient reaches out to him, the wound is already sore and festering.

“That is the trouble. The physicians and the general surgeons usually keep the patient to themselves for far too long. It is only when their treatment has failed that they refer the patient to the gastroenterologist surgeon,” says Dr Patta. 

Recommendations

•Keep the area clean;

•Shave regularly;

•Avoid sitting for long hours at a stretch;

•Try softer seats;

•Wear comfortable clothing; and

•Approach a gastroenterologist surgeon at the first hint of

 infection.

CONTACT US 

SIMS Hospital - Vadapalani, Chennai
(Next to Vadapalani Metro Station)
No.1, Jawaharlal Nehru Salai
(100 Feet Road), Vadapalani
Chennai – 600 026, Tamilnadu, India

 +(91)-9790924876

 patta_radhakrishna@yahoo.co.in