Ingrowing toenails: studies of segmental chemical ablation

Area of Science:

• Podiatry
• Dermatology

Background:

• Ingrowing toenails (onychocryptosis) are a common condition.
• Segmental ablation is a widely practiced treatment, often using phenol or sodium hydroxide.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically evaluate the efficacy of segmental chemical ablation for ingrowing toenails.
• To compare the outcomes of phenol versus sodium hydroxide in this procedure.
• To assess post-operative pain and healing times.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study involving 422 procedures for ingrowing toenails.
• Comparison of 80% phenol and 10% sodium hydroxide applications.
• Evaluation of success rates, pain duration, and healing times.

Main Results:

• Segmental chemical ablation by chiropodists resulted in good outcomes in 91% of cases.
• Both 80% phenol and 10% sodium hydroxide demonstrated similar efficacy.
• The average post-operative pain duration was 3.6 days.

Conclusions:

• Segmental chemical ablation is an effective and recommended treatment for ingrowing toenails.
• The choice between phenol and sodium hydroxide does not significantly impact results.
• Chiropodist-performed segmental chemical ablation offers a high success rate with manageable recovery.