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[Treatment of the ingrown toenail by phenol cauterization (ASLUF)]
V Caronia1, M Battistioli, O Gualandi
1Stabilimento Ospedaliero di Oderzo, Divisione Chirurgica, Regione Veneto, Unità Locale Socio-Sanitaria n. 9, Treviso, Italy.
Background:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and the ethiopatogenetic aspects of the ingrown toenail, treated by usual surgical technique versus phenol wedge cauterization (ASLUF).
Methods:
From June 1990 to June 1999, 388 patients (218 male and 170 female patients, age range 9-90 years) were treated by 413 wedge ablation, surgical or chemical. After the operation, patients were controlled after 2 days, 1 week, 1 month, 6 months and 1 year. 109 patients were treated by usual surgical treatment, 260 patients by phenol cauterization (ASLUF), 19 by total ablation.
Results:
23 patients presented again ingrown toenail in the same place after few months, 20 patients after surgical treatment and 3 patients after phenol cauterization. All 23 patients were treated again without problems.
Conclusions:
In our personal opinion, the treatment of ingrown toenail is necessary soon, without the routine use of antibiotic therapy and the total ablation of the nail is not necessary. On this basis phenol wedge cauterization is the most suitable treatment for ingrown toenail with good cosmetic results, lower recurrence rate and from the functional point of view.