A pilonidal cyst, also referred as a pilonidal abscess, pilonidal sinus or sacrococcygeal fistula, is a cyst or abscess near or on the natal cleft of the buttocks that often contains hair and skin debris.
Pilonidal means "nest of hair", and is derived from the Latin words for hair ("pilus") and nest ("nidus"). The term was used by Herbert Mayo as early as 1830. R.M. Hodges was the first to use the phrase "pilonidal cyst" to describe the condition...
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A pilonidal cyst, also referred as a pilonidal abscess, pilonidal sinus or sacrococcygeal fistula, is a cyst or abscess near or on the natal cleft of the buttocks that often contains hair and skin debris.
Pilonidal means "nest of hair", and is derived from the Latin words for hair ("pilus") and nest ("nidus"). The term was used by Herbert Mayo as early as 1830. R.M. Hodges was the first to use the phrase "pilonidal cyst" to describe the condition in 1880.
Pilonidal cysts are quite painful, affect men more frequently than women, and typically occur between the ages of 15 and 24. Although usually found near the coccyx, the condition can also affect the navel, armpit or penis, though these locations are much more rare.
Some people with a pilonidal cyst will be asymptomatic.
A sinus tract, or small channel, may originate from the source of infection and open to the surface of the skin. Material from the cyst may drain through the pilonidal sinus. A pilonidal cyst is usually painful, but...
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