Dr Brink talks about Pilonidal Cysts, also known as Jeep Driver Disease.

The Bascom cleft lift is a surgery for pilonidal cysts. And pilonidal cyst surgery is as old as World War II. In World War II, they called it Jeep Driver’s Disease. Men typically have a lot of hair in the gluteal cleft at the top of the buttocks area it tends to have a lot of hair. It was first named in World War II Jeep Driver’s Disease was simply they were bouncing in a Jeep, and those hairs were becoming pushed under the skin forming cysts. Well, me taking care of the Navy and the Marines, this was one of the most common procedures we would do. 

And so throughout my military career, we started doing research and found what’s called the Bascom Cleft Lift. And what it is it’s a rotational flap. So we actually removed the disease tissue, but instead of leaving it open or expecting recurrence rates, we actually do a special elliptical type incision and then pull the tissue over so you’re literally taking the tissue from the midline where the hair is ingrowing and you’re pulling the tissue over to the side. And what that does is decrease recurrence rates, infection, and has a better success rate outcomes overall. In the Northern Iowa area, farmers are in tractors, and especially during harvest season and such, we tend to see an increase when they’re plowing and planting and when they’re harvesting, they’re bouncing around in their tractor seats. And so we do see a pretty good population of people who are having this issue.