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A simple and practical method in treatment of ingrown nails: splinting by flexible tube
Author(s) -
Nazari S
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of the european academy of dermatology and venereology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.655
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1468-3083
pISSN - 0926-9959
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2006.01793.x
Subject(s) - medicine , nail (fastener) , surgery , cure rate , dentistry , metallurgy , materials science
Background The ingrown nail (or onychocryptosis) is a common problem that occurs mostly in the big toe and causes high amounts of morbidity in affected patients. Many therapeutic methods have been described, most of them leading to severe damage to the nail or to frequent relapses. The nail splinting technique is a successful, simple and non‐invasive therapeutic method for treating ingrown nails. Objective To determine efficacy of the plastic tube insertion technique in patients with ingrown toenail and its use as a standard treatment. Materials and Methods We encountered 32 cases (age range 9–67 years) of ingrown toenails in this clinical trial. All of the patients were treated using the plastic nail tube insertion technique for 7 to 15 days. Patients were examined daily for the first 3 days of treatment and were evaluated 3 and 6 months after treatment. All patients were followed up by a single observer. Results Recurrence was seen in only two patients after 6 months of treatment (6.25%). Conclusion The low recurrence rate using the nail splinting technique in the treatment of ingrown toenail, as well as its simple application, shows that this treatment constitutes an effective, non‐invasive method. It appears that this technique can substitute other more invasive surgical methods, particularly in the early stages of this disease.