Short-term results of suture treatment for pincer nail deformity

This study aims to evaluate the cosmetic and functional results of suture treatment on pincer nail deformity (PND).

This study was conducted between June 2018 and November 2018. Sixteen nails of 13 patients (6 males; 7 females; mean age 46.9 years; range, 24 to 74 years) with PND were treated with silk sutures. The pathologic stage (including tissue status and level of pain), visual analog scale (VAS), nail height (H) and width (W) were evaluated pre- and postoperatively. Nail H and W were measured pre- and postoperatively from digital photographs of each nail and H/W ratio was calculated.

The postoperative VAS, severity of pain scores, and nail H showed a significant decrease compared to the preoperative values (p<0.05). Curvature of the nail and pain scores decreased in all patients. Nail W showed a significant increase, therefore H/W ratio decreased significantly (p<0.05). Although recurrence of cosmetic deformity was seen at six months, the VAS and tissue scores remained lower than preoperative values. Patients reported favorable outcomes compared to their preoperative complaints.

The described suture treatment method is an inexpensive, simple technique, not requiring any special material. These results support that this technique is useful for pain relief and tissue healing even if cosmetic recurrence occurs.