Abstract
Ingrown toenail is one of the most common affliction of the foot and is often required surgical intervention. Since the cause of it is not well understood, many methods of surgical treatment have been described. we report the results of surgical procedures for 30 ingrown toenails.
During the last 4 years, labiomatricectomy which consisted of resection of the nail wall, nail, nail bed, and nail matrix, was done on 30 ingrown toenails (29 great toes and one 2nd toe) in 24 patients (10 males and 14 females). The age at the surgery ranged from 13 to 68 years with a mean age of 28.7. The average duration of symptom was 19.2 months (range; 4 days∼10 years), and 12 toes had previously been treated by ablation or partial resection of the nail and/or other surgical procedures. The average period of follow-up was 7.5 months with a range of one to 24 months. In 13 out of 30 toes, bacteriological examinations were carried out.
26 out of 30 toes had no signs of recurrent ingrown toenails. In 4 toes, some problems were recognized (3 recurrences of infection with granulation, one inflammation of nail wall). The recurrence rate was 13per cent. The cultures of 13 specimens obtained during surgery proved to be positive in all cases, and the organisms were Staph. aureus in 10 toes, Staph. epidermidis in 3, Enterobacter cloacae in one, and Strept. pyogenes in one.
In conclusion labiomatricectomy obtained satisfactory results in 30 ingrown toenails. Managements of pre- and postoperative infection were claimed to be necessary for gaining a good outcome.
