Minimally invasive surgery for pilonidal disease: Outcomes of the Gips technique-A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Pilonidal disease is a common inflammatory condition that significantly impacts quality of life. Currently, there is a tendency to favor minimally invasive procedures. The present review aims to summarize the evidence and assess the outcomes of the Gips procedure.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted on MEDLINE/Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases until December 2022. Eligible studies included patients with pilonidal disease submitted to the Gips procedure, reporting at least 1 of the following outcomes: wound complications, wound healing time, time to resume daily activities, and recurrence (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews protocol: CRD42023389269). The National Institutes of Health assessment tool was used for risk of bias evaluation. Meta-analysis was performed using OpenMeta[Analyst] and R software, and a subgroup analysis was performed when applicable.

Results: Thirteen observational studies with a total of 4,286 patients submitted to Gips were included. The pooled wound complications rate was 7.8% (95% confidence interval: 5.1-10.6), the median time to resume daily activities was 1 day (95% confidence interval: 1-2), and the mean wound healing time was 4.7 weeks (95% confidence interval: 3.0-6.4). Subgroup analysis showed that pooled recurrence rate was 6.5% (95% confidence interval: 5.2-7.8) up to 2 years and 38.9% (95% confidence interval: 27.1-50.7) after more than 2 years of surgery. Most results showed substantial heterogeneity across studies.

Conclusion: Despite apparent favorable outcomes of the Gips procedure, there is a high recurrence rate over time. Because included studies had an observational nature and unstandardized methodologies, comparative randomized controlled trials with longer follow-ups are needed for high-level evidence regarding these outcomes.