SynthesisTechniques in coloproctology2018
The effect of hair removal after surgery for sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus disease: a systematic review of the literature.
Synthesis in Techniques in coloproctology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03949140 (Laser Hair Removal for Primary Treatment of Pilonidal Disease Requiring Surgical Intervention), which is not on this map. Cited by 30 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Laser Hair Removal for Primary Treatment of Pilonidal Disease Requiring Surgical Intervention
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 65 citations in OpenAlex.
- International Society of Laser Proctology Position Paper on SiLaC and EPSiT/SiLaC in the Management of Pilonidal Sinus Disease.Lasers in surgery and medicine · 2025Guideline
- What is the Impact of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy on Healing in Patients Post Excision of Pilonidal Sinus? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International wound journal · 2025Pooled it
- German National Guideline on the management of pilonidal disease: update 2020.Langenbeck's archives of surgery · 2021Guideline
- Karydakis procedure versus Limberg flap for treatment of pilonidal sinus: an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.International journal of colorectal disease · 2021Pooled it
- A mapping review of sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus disease.Techniques in coloproctology · 2021Pooled it
- Surgical Treatment Outcomes for Primary Pilonidal Sinus Disease: A Single-Centre Retrospective Study of 2222 Patients (2006-2020).International wound journal · 2026Article
- Outcomes of Pilonidal Surgery Performed in the Setting of Standard Adjunct Laser Hair Removal: A Retrospective Cohort Study.International wound journal · 2026Article
- The New Minimally Invasive Techniques for Pilonidal Sinus Disease Surgery: Choosing the Right Technique for the Right Patient-A Narrative Review.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Review
- Light-based Epilation as an Adjunct to Surgery in the Management of Pilonidal Disease: A Meta-analysis.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2026Article
- Pilonidal disease: Gaps in the guidelines and future perspectives.Turkish journal of surgery · 2025Article
- The application of EPSiT in pilonidal sinus disease: an international Delphi consensus study endorsed by the Association of Laparoscopic Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ALSGBI).Techniques in coloproctology · 2025Review
- Long-term follow-up of pilonidal sinus disease treated by radial laser surgery.Langenbeck's archives of surgery · 2024Article
- Efficacy of laser obliteration with limited excision of pilonidal sinus.The Journal of international medical research · 2024Observational
- Regular epilation alone is an acceptable treatment for symptom-free pilonidal patients.Pediatric surgery international · 2023Article
- Pediatric endoscopic pilonidal sinus treatment (PEPSiT): report of a multicentric national study on 294 patients.Updates in surgery · 2023Article
- Article
- Pilonidal sinus laser-assisted closure (PiLAC) - a low-morbidity alternative to excision with excellent long-term outcomes.Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England · 2023Article
- Benign Anorectal Disorder Management in Low-Resource Settings.Clinics in colon and rectal surgery · 2022Review
- Outcomes of Sinus Laser Therapy in Sacrococcygeal Pilonidal Sinus Disease: A Single-Center Experience.Cureus · 2022Article
- Consensus statement of the Italian society of colorectal surgery (SICCR): management and treatment of pilonidal disease.Techniques in coloproctology · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIt has been suggested that removal of body hair in the sacrococcygeal area prevents recurrence after surgery for sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus disease (SPSD). The aim of this study was to review the literature regarding the effect of hair depilation on the recurrence rate in patients surgically treated for SPSD.
methodsA systematic search was performed in PubMed, EMBASE, and The Cochrane Library by using synonyms for SPSD. Title, abstract, and full text were screened by two independent reviewers. Data were systematically collected from all included studies by using a standardized data extraction form.
resultsThe search and selection yielded 14 studies, involving 963 patients. The study design of the included studies was: retrospective cohort (n = 7), prospective cohort (n = 3), randomized controlled trial (n = 2), and case-control (n = 2).The mean length of follow-up was 37.0 (standard error of the mean: 35.0) months. The recurrence rate was 9.3% (34 out of 366 patients) in patients who had laser hair removal, 23.4% (36 out of 154 patients) in those who had razor shaving/cream depilation, and 19.7% (85 out of 431 patients) in those who had no hair removal after surgery for SPSD.
conclusionsThis systematic review showed a lower recurrence rate after laser hair removal compared to no hair removal and razor/cream depilation. Due to the small sample size and limited methodological quality of the included studies, a high-quality randomized controlled trial is required.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.