Open Access, Peer-reviewed
pISSN 1226-2102
eISSN 2005-8918
    J Korean Orthop Assoc. 2010 Feb;45(1):97-100. Korean.
    Published online Feb 28, 2010.
    https://doi.org/10.4055/jkoa.2010.45.1.97
    Copyright © 2010 by The Korean Orthopaedic Association
    Case Report

    Pilonidal Cysts Occurring in the Sacrococcygeal Region and that were Misdiagnosed as a Simple Abscess

    Chang-Hwa Hong, M.D., and Seung-Mann Ryoo, M.D.
      • Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea.
    • Correspondence to: Chang-Hwa Hong, M.D. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, 23-20, Bongmyung-dong, Cheonan 330-721, Korea. TEL: +82-41-570-3640, FAX: +82-41-572-7234, Email: chhong@sch.ac.kr
    Received October 07, 2009; Accepted December 21, 2009.

    This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

    Abstract

    A pilonidal cyst is known to be a recurrent infectious disease in the sacrococcygeal region and it usually affects adolescents and adults. It is often misdiagnosed as a simple abscess or a sebaceous cyst, so there are many patients with pilonidal cysts who have gone through several operations. Although many treatments for this malady have been reported, the principle treatment for pilonidal cysts is radical excision. We report here on two cases of pilonidal cyst and the patients were misdiagnosed as having a simple abscess. We planned to perform incision and drainage, but the lesions were finally diagnosed as pilonidal cysts and so we performed radical excision for the treatment. We also review the medical literature on abscesses that occur in the sacrococcygeal region in early adulthood.

    Keywords
    pilonidal cyst; simple abscess; sacrococcygeal region; radical excision

    Figures

    Figure 1
    (A) T2WI sagittal view, an ovoid-shaped mass like lesion which is located in the subcutaneous fat layer, sacrum level is seen, which displays high signal intensity. (B) It displays iso-signal intensity at T1WI sagittal view. (C) It displays septal-like enhancement and central low signal intensity at Gd T1WI (However, it does not seem to invade the connected muscle and it is not seen the abnormal signal intensity at bone marrow, spinal canal and disc.).

    Figure 2
    When the patient visited hospital, pilonidal sinus was detected at 5 cm upper from the anus during the inspection.

    Figure 3
    (A) T2WI axial view, a high signal intensity mass-like lesion is seen at the posterior aspect of coccyx, which displays peripheral thin-walled rim. (B) T1WI view, it displays low signal intensity. (C) Gd T1WI, the peripheral thin-walled rim is enhanced well.

    Figure 4
    This is photographed after total stitch out followed the radical resection operation.

    References

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    MeSH Terms
    Abscess
    Adolescent
    Adult
    Communicable Diseases
    Drainage
    Epidermal Cyst
    Humans
    Pilonidal Sinus
    Sacrococcygeal Region
    Metrics
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