Discovering the 'Cleft Lift' - The Sternberg Clinic for Pilonidal Surgery

I had my pilonidal for several years before I found this website in my attempt to deal with the problem once and for all.
Through this site, I discovered the “cleft lift” proceedure as pioneered by Dr. John Bascom of Oregon. I decided to call Dr. Bascom, and he referred me to San Francisco based surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Sternberg who had been educated by Dr. Bascom as to how to perform the procedure.
I had the procedure and haven’t had any problems since! I’ve never had major surgery before, so I was a little unnerved by the whole process, which included a spinal anesthetic. I ended up having a drainage tube connected to the area for about a week after the procedure. Though inconvenient, it certainly beat having to do packing changes. The aftercare was pretty minimal, and in a few weeks I was back to normal.
I still have a little discomfort in the area where the abscess was if I put direct pressure on it, but that’s nothing compared to having a perpetually infected chronic abscess!
If you’re in the area, I highly suggest you check Dr. Sternberg out.
– GB

Patient Testimonials: The Blog

Read success stories from surgery patients

Patient Prep: Traveling to San Francisco for Pilonidal care during COVID-19November 30, 2020
This has been a difficult eight months for all of us. The time has been particularly challenging for patients with Pilonidal Disease, particularly those who must to travel outside of their local medical community to find a surgeon who canContinue reading “Patient Prep: Traveling to San Francisco for Pilonidal care during COVID-19”
‘The “Guru” of pilonidal disease’November 15, 2020
Dr. Sternberg saved my son from years of problems and potential surgeries! He is an amazing doctor and we feel so fortunate to have been referred to him. My 16-year-old son had pilonidal disease and was treated at Urgent CareContinue reading “‘The “Guru” of pilonidal disease’”
‘No pain, quick recovery, and a return to normal life’November 4, 2020
THANK YOU DR. STERNBERG!!! After suffering a hard fall, I developed a draining abscess in the upper left area of my buttocks. I first went to a Dermatologist, who performed a painful in-office surgery. After the surgery, the area worsened.Continue reading “‘No pain, quick recovery, and a return to normal life’”