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Comparison of the Effectiveness of the Simple Puncture Compared to the Incision of an Abscess on the piLOnidal Sinus

PILO - Comparison of the Effectiveness of the Simple Puncture Compared to the Incision of an Abscess on the piLOnidal Sinus

Status
Terminated
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06378918
Acronym
PILO
Enrollment
5
Registered
2024-04-23
Start date
2025-03-20
Completion date
2026-01-16
Last updated
2026-06-24

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Pilonidal Cyst

Keywords

Pilonidal Cyst, abcess, puncture, incision, intergluteal groove

Brief summary

Pilonidal disease is a common disease characterized by the presence of abscess in the intergluteal groove. During periods of abscess, current recommendations are to make a simple incision with daily wicking of the abscess. Direct excision at this time is not recommended because there is a risk of incomplete excision. The principle of directed healing after incision of the abscess results in an average dressing period of 21 days. A definitive resection is recommended after 4 to 6 weeks, when healing has been achieved, in order to limit the risk of infectious recurrence. An alternative has recently been proposed, consisting of a puncture of the abscess, aimed at emptying it under antibiotic coverage. The major advantage of this treatment is that patients no longer need general anesthesia to flatten the abscess. Although this technique is promising, it is currently not the subject of any published or ongoing randomized controlled study registered on Clinicaltrials.gov. The research hypothesis is that the two techniques have the same results in terms of recurrence before definitive surgical treatment but that drainage puncture would imply a faster healing time, a lower cost of treatment, a quality of superior support, reduced support time and reduced work stoppage.

Detailed description

This is a single-center, prospective, open-label, randomized study. Patients are screened and included during the emergency room consultation or a scheduled consultation. After verification of the selection criteria and provision of clear, fair and appropriate information, patients are offered to participate in the study. If they accept, consent is signed and randomization is carried out. The procedure under study is puncture/aspiration. Local anesthesia is previously carried out with 2-5 cc of 1% lidocaine. The puncture is then carried out using a 16 gauge needle. Antibiotic coverage will be offered. A work stoppage is recommended until the day after the puncture/aspiration but the duration is left to the discretion of the surgeon. The patient is systematically reviewed 15 days after the puncture/aspiration with a recommendation for earlier consultation in the event of persistence of redness, discharge, pain or onset of fever. If these symptoms recur or persist, it is recommended to make an incision with packing. In the event of fistulization following the puncture, associated with discharge and skin necrosis, local nursing care is recommended. The definitive resection procedure is then planned 4 to 6 weeks after the puncture/aspiration if the evolution is favorable. The gold standard procedure is incision of the abscess. This is carried out according to the habits of the department: in the operating room under general or local anesthesia or in consultation (or emergencies) under local anesthesia. The procedure is carried out on an outpatient basis but, if necessary, short-term hospitalization is carried out. Daily wicking is then carried out with nursing care at home until healing. A work stoppage is recommended for a period of approximately 10 days. The patient is systematically reviewed at 15 days with a recommendation for earlier consultation in the event of persistence of redness, discharge, pain or onset of fever. If these symptoms recur or persist, it is recommended to make an incision with packing. The definitive resection procedure is then planned 4 to 6 weeks after the initial operation if the evolution is favorable. The definitive resection procedure is carried out after the flattening of the abscess has healed. It is recommended to perform resection without closure with nursing-care healing at home with daily packings for 15 days. After the 15-day visit, changing the dressings by wicking is recommended daily until healing.

Interventions

PROCEDUREpuncture

Local anesthesia is previously carried out with 2-5 cc of 1% lidocaine. The puncture is then carried out using a 16 gauge needle. Antibiotic coverage will be offered. A work stoppage is recommended until the day after the puncture/aspiration but the duration is left to the discretion of the surgeon. A visit is systematically realised 15 days after the puncture/aspiration with a recommendation for earlier consultation in the event of persistence of redness, discharge, pain or onset of fever. If these symptoms recur or persist, it is recommended to make an incision with packing. In the event of fistulization following the puncture, associated with discharge and skin necrosis, local nursing care is recommended.

PROCEDUREincision of the abscess

This is carried out according to the habits of the department: in the operating room under general or local anesthesia or in consultation (or emergencies) under local anesthesia. The procedure is carried out on an outpatient basis but, if necessary, short-term hospitalization is carried out. Daily drying is then carried out with nursing care at home until healing. A work stoppage is recommended for a period of approximately 10 days. A visit is systematically realised 15 days after the incision with a recommendation for earlier consultation in the event of persistence of redness, discharge, pain or onset of fever. If these symptoms recur or persist, it is recommended to make an incision with packing. The definitive resection procedure is then planned 4 to 6 weeks after the initial operation if the evolution is favorable.

Sponsors

University Hospital, Angers
Lead SponsorOTHER_GOV

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Adult patients with a pilonidal sinus abscess * Surgical indication for flattening the abscess * Recurrent or de novo abscess * Signature of consent to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

* Skin necrosis * Immunosuppression (drug-related or pathological) or diabetes * Spontaneous fistulization * Patients who do not speak French * Pregnant and/or breastfeeding women * Patients without social security coverage * Person deprived of liberty by judicial or administrative decision * Person subject to psychiatric care under duress * Person subject to a legal protection measure * Person unable to express consent

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
healing time6 weeksCompare the duration of wound healing between the puncture-aspiration and Incision groups =\> The healing time is defined by the time between the abscess flattens and the moment the skin is epidermised. In this case, it involves stopping the use of nursing care and stopping dressings. Healing is checked by the investigator using a photo taken by the patient. The date of healing is then recorded by the patient in the logbook. In the event of a recurrence of the abscess, with the need for an incision following the acute episode, the healing time is added to the duration of the previous episode.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Effectiveness of the 2 procedures4 weeksEffectiveness of the puncture-aspiration and the reference technique in terms of disappearance of symptoms =\> Effectiveness defined by the disappearance of symptoms and characterized by the disappearance of the inflammatory triad: pain, heat and redness 4 weeks after the initial intervention. Recurrence of the abscess or acute infection before the scheduled definitive resection is considered a failure to resolve symptoms.
Cost analysis6 weeksTotal cost of each care pathway for the acute phase of a pilonidal sinus abscess, from a health insurance perspective.
Duration of nursing care6 weeksPeriod between the date of emergency consultation and the date of the last visit of a nurse before the definitive resection =\> The care may be discontinuous or delayed from the urgent intervention, particularly if the abscess to be flattened secondarily after the initial intervention.
Duration of work stoppage6 weeksTime between initial intervention and return to work.
Returning to work6 weeksThe time between the initial intervention and the day on which the patient feels able to resume their professional activity normally =\> The day on which the patient feels capable of resuming professional activity may be before the date of resumption of professional activity.

Countries

France

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORAurélien VENARA, PHD

University Hospital of Angers

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jun 25, 2026