Manuka honey as an effective treatment for chronic pilonidal sinus wounds.

OBJECTIVE: A retrospective study to investigate the effectiveness of topical manuka honey in the treatment of chronic or recurrent pilonidal sinus disease (PSD), assessing the ability of this simple dressing technique to achieve complete wound healing, the time taken to achieve healing and the recurrence rate.

METHOD: All patients who received manuka honey dressing therapy following surgical intervention for chronic or recurrent PSD were identified over a 4-year period. In a retrospective review of case notes, data were collected on patient sex, age, nature of surgical procedures performed, time to achieve complete wound healing, and recurrences after completion of honey therapy.

RESULTS: Seventeen patients were eligible for inclusion in the study. Mean time to commence honey therapy post-surgery was 93 days (5-517 days; median 33 days); 15 patients achieved complete wound healing, in a mean time of 65 days (14-264 days; median 49 days). Honey was discontinued in one patient due to an adverse event, and two patients experienced recurrence several months after completing honey therapy.

CONCLUSION: Manuka honey dressing therapy provides an effective topical treatment for chronic/recurrent PSD. Further research is necessary to determine the optimum dressing protocol.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. There were no external sources of funding for this study.